Flowers for Machines
by pandagirl7878
Summary: 2B and 9S awake after being repaired by the pods to discover a world now only inhabited by androids. Now with the freedom to do as they please, the androids begin to fulfill many promises to each other before the inevitable day that their world is destroyed. SPOILERS FOR ENDING E! Note: Chapters 1-15 rewritten as of 07/31/2019. Old chapters have been replaced.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth and Hope

"9S!" 2B shouted as she sat upright with a jolt.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw her pod, 042, fly in front of her. "Good morning, 2B."

"You… brought me back here…" 2B looked around to see the familiar sight of the building she'd woken up on 2 weeks earlier. 9S's body was still laying as immaculately as they'd left it. Not a speck of dirt on his face. Not a tear in his jacket. Not a hair out of place.

2B snapped back to reality when her pod responded to her. "Affirmative. You entered a forced shutdown due to severe continuous operation. We finished your mission of locating the item at the specified coordinates.

An orange crystal glimmered in the claws of Pod 153. Small bits of data transmitted themselves back and forth between faces of the stone. It was a remnant of the machine lifeforms' communication protocol. 2B grabbed as many of the pods as she could and hugged them in a tight embrace. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

The small, orange light on top of 042 flashed. "One expression of gratitude will suffice."

"And Emotions are still prohibited," 153 responded.

2B laughed at the Pod's statement. 2B had searched the rubble of the Tower for a single hint as to what happened to 9S's personal data. After thousands of attempts to restart 9S, he still wouldn't wake up. But with this data crystal, things finally seemed hopeful for 2B and her flying companions.

"Are you sure this will work?" 2B asked, handing over the vaccine to the black and red pod.

"Negative. However, said action is in the acceptable level of risk. Administering vaccine…"

After a few attempts, the vaccine still failed to restore 9S's data. Thought whizzed around 2B's mind. Had the pods found the wrong crystal? Was 9S too damaged to be repaired now? Was his personal data destroyed?

Out of frustration, 2B threw a chunk of white rubble as hard as she could. "Why isn't it working?"

"Hypothesis: Repair vaccine is a failure," 042 responded.

"Negative. Repair vaccine's functions confirmed to be normal." 153 began to place the vaccine protocol chip in her storage systems, but was interrupted by 2B's commands.

"Try it again!"

After a small amount of beeping, 153 stated, "No effect."

2B clenched her fists in anger, before tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Try… again…"

Through teary eyes, 2B looked at 9S's face. It was still as pristine as it had been when she first woke up two weeks ago, and still looked as if he was just asleep.

After the beeping from the latest attempt had ceased, 153 finally put the chip away. "Report: Traces detected indicating the memory region of unit 9S's contents have been erased."

"Negative. It is an effect of the repair vaccine. Hypothesis: Unit 9S's personal data has been lost," 042 reasoned.

For a moment, the tears stopped. "His personal data… is truly lost?"

From above, the android heard yelling from above. "Cut the crap, 2B! I'd help you, but I haven't figured out a way to get down without getting extremely hurt! I think I have an idea!"

2B's eyes darted between the six pods. "Why didn't you guys help her down? 153, go get her!"

"Affirmative." The three black and red pods began flying up to reach their desired target. Within a few seconds, A2 was gracefully floating down, holding onto a handle one of the pods had created for her to hold on to.

As she reached the ground, the long haired android's eyes locked firmly onto the three white and orange pods flying around 2B. "Pod, I know I was kinda mean to you, but I'm sorry. I'm not used to having my own flying box to worry about."

"Apology accepted. Question: Can this Tactical Support Unit scan Unit A2's memory for records regarding the situation of 9S's personal data?"

"Go ahead. Finally, the box asks for my permission."

2B giggled at A2's slight annoyance at her Tactical Support Unit. He had always been a little too rigid with her, but she never minded, as all pods were like that.

After a few minutes, 042 responded, "Records indicate that 9S's personal data was wiped of his own accord, but there is the possibility that it was moved to a different location. According to Unit A2's records, it is possible that his data evacuated using the machine lifeforms' Ark. Report: Possibility of recovering 9S's personal data extremely low. This possibility constitutes an unacceptable level of risk. Proposal: Unit 2B should dispose of Unit 9S's body and talk to Anemone to confirm chain of command."

2B's tears fell through her blindfold and fell onto 9S's rough jacket. "No, 9S, this can't… We didn't even get to say goodbye, and yet… why? Why did you have to leave me again?"

An error message appeared on Pod 042's data log. "Abnormal signal detected from Black Box." 2B's Black Box was deteriorating. The cause was unknown, but it seemed as if his supported unit had lost the will to live.

"I don't care anymore! I don't…!" 2B's voice was drowned out by her tears. She had known too many versions of her white-haired companion. He wasn't meant for battle. He was meant to gather information. Her death had killed him. Every other time she killed him, he was brought back. Returned to the Bunker and given the default data of countless missions for gathering data on machines. The mission all Scanners had. But 9S was different.

"Alert: Errors detected in unit's functionality." If 042 could've shown emotion, he would've screamed for her to stop. A will was born inside of him fighting alongside A2. He wanted to protect the YoRHa units A2, 2B, and 9S. But he didn't want to risk losing too many of them.

"You can't save her?" A2 asked, looking at the pods who had saved her.

"Negative. She told us that she didn't want to be saved if 9S couldn't be rebooted." 042's emotionless voice could only report back on the situation at hand. "Near and Far Field Control Systems have gone offline. Initiating short-range radio-wave camouflage. Unit 2B's vital signs are deteriorating. Alert: Immense damage to Unit 2B's life preservation functionality. Proposal: Body adjustment and maintenance in a safe location urgently required."

"Please, 2B! Stop this madness! There has to be another way!"

"You don't know anything, do you?" 2B snapped at A2 in the same tone 9S had shouted at her when he revealed crimson eyes on the top floor of the Tower. She may not have known much about the two of them, but she did know what 2B had to do to 9S every time they met. It was a special kind of pain that only 2B knew.

She wouldn't stop crying. This time, 2B didn't even have a chance to save him. All she could feel was pain deep within her circuitry.

But a light flashed on 153's monitoring systems. "Report: Abnormal vibrations detected from Black Box. Temperature rising."

"This unit has already reported on the abnormal situation," Pod 042 responded.

"Negative. I am Tactical Support Unit Pod 153, and it is my job to report abnormalities in functionality of my supported unit, Unit 9S."

"Negative. Unit 9S's personal data has already been terminated. Reboot is realistically impossible."

For the first time in ages, A2 realized what had happened. She remembered being asked by the two red girls as her consciousness faded if her data could be uploaded to their Ark. 9S must've accepted. A2 chuckled to herself before patting the top of 042. "You really are an idiot, Pod."

"YoRHa Unit 9S has been successfully reactivated. 042, your predictions were incorrect."

"There is no need to say such comments, 153."

For the first time in years, 2B smiled. "Nines!"

"Where… am I? 2B? What did I…?"

9S was cut off by a tight hug from 2B. The strength from her being a battle unit could've easily crushed him, but she didn't want to erase all of her hard work. "I'm so glad… I'm so glad you're…"

"Is there any way to report this situation? This is… exceptionally unique," 153 asked.

"No need for an analysis, Pod. I think I've figured this out. 9S, what do you remember from just after you killed me?"

"Well, it's a little fuzzy, but I do remember Adam… he reached out to me from the Ark. He asked if I wanted to go with him, and I did."

"His black box must've sent out a signal to retrieve his memories from the Ark when you first attempted to reboot him. It just took this long to get that signal."

"No matter what happened, I'm glad he's okay." 2B's smile hadn't yet faded.

"I'm glad you're okay too, 2B."


	2. Chapter 2: Repose

"I still can't believe we all that survived," 2B frowned. "There were several hundred of us soldiers out there. All of them were infected?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, 2B. I ran into a fellow Scanner Model, 4S, in the Forest Kingdom while on my mission to destroy all of the machines. He was gathering data on the enemy, trying to find as much as he could. With the forest's machines slowly deteriorating from lack of maintenance, it shouldn't be too hard for a couple of combat models like you two to deal some significant damage to them."

"Yeah, I found a couple still surviving too. Two girls in the desert. They were too high on these things called e-drugs to comprehend any situation," A2 said.

2B remembered those two girls. Jackass had created this really powerful combat enhancer that had some nasty side effects. 2B had turned to the drug a little more recently after killing 9S.

"Yeah, it's pretty powerful stuff," 2B said.

"You say that like you know a thing or two about it." 9S raised an eyebrow at his partner's last statement.

"It was about a year ago. Command had me kill you again. It was awful. I couldn't keep doing it. I wanted to abandon my mission, so I asked Jackass for help. She gave me an experimental version of a drug she made and I went crazy killing machines for a few weeks. They sent 7E after me, but only to bring me back to the Bunker for some rehab. We were back out doing missions in the Desert for a while, trying to repair the damage on some experimental base. It's sad you don't remember a lot of the stuff we did together."

"It's okay, 2B! Now I won't forget it!" 9S climbed up onto the branch of a nearby tree. "The Resource Unit's been deactivated, but the steam just won't clear. I can barely get a glimpse of the castle from here."

"Right, those machine buildings that showed up with the creation of the Tower. Still trying to find 4S?" A2 drew her sword and took down a small machine that came up to her. "Make sure to destroy their cores, 2B. Otherwise they'll regenerate."

"Proposal: Unit A2 should not destroy the cores of the machine lifeforms. However, you should remove it from their body and deactivate its programming." 042 responded. "Us Tactical Support Units can reprogram and reformat them to create the YoRHa Black Box circuitry."

2B stopped dead in her path. "We're made from machines."

"Affirmative."

9S jumped down from the branch. "Yeah, it shocked me too. But now we at least have a reason for destroying machines."

2B drew her sword and continued to fight off the remaining machines in the Forest. "I guess we're just going to have to live like this."

"Yep. Better than dying again and letting people actually believe humanity still exists." A2's sword imbedded itself deep into the core of a spear wielding biped.

"What a hilarious lie. I can't believe androids actually believed that for so long."

"Yeah." 9S began walking but stopped once he realized what had happened. "I didn't know you knew, 2B."

"I always knew. One of the telltale signs of me needing to kill you was you telling me. Command decided it was better for me to know."

"Glad that slave driver is gone."

"She should've gone out on the battlefield for once in her life instead of letting others do the dirty work for her. She was designed to have the functionality of all 7 types of YoRHa units combined." A2 continued cutting down machines as she made her way through the forest. "But she never really used any of her skills."

"There's only 6 now. Gunner and Attackers were replaced by battle units when I was created."

"2B, you're an E type," 9S replied.

"Not anymore. I hated that job more than anything else in the world."

"Fair enough."

As they began to approach the ravine, the steam grew thinner. From the base of the collapsed bridge, the three androids could see the castle in front of them. 2B began to approach the mechanical remains of the Resource Recovery Unit.

"What was this place?"

"Pod 153, show her the recordings from…" 9S scratched his head has he tried to remember the data, "July 14th."

"Affirmative."

2B saw quick flashes of battles inside a mechanical structure, with the pod firing a beam of energy at its core upon reaching the top floor.

"And you did this 3 times?"

"Yeah. Quite a lot of work to get myself killed by accidentally falling on your sword."

2B frowned a little before continuing across the bridge. She attempted to imagine how 9S felt about her death. She was always extremely upset when he left her, even if it was for a short amount of time, but her death was seemingly permanent. They were only alive because of the pods.

2B remembered what 042 had said to her when they were searching for a way to wake 9S up. He had launched a suicide attack to destroy the project protocol that was supposed to delete everyone's data. 2B believed she owed a lot of her pod, but she didn't know how to express her gratitude. Emotions were still a concept that was very unusual to her.

"Alright, it might be difficult, but we can reach the top floor by climbing up to that balcony. I know, I jumped down from it before."

"Right after you almost killed us!" 9S shouted.

"I was nowhere near killing you, you guys actually held up pretty well in that fight. 5th time I fought you guys. Something was different about you that time."

"5th time?" 9S and 2B said in unison.

"Yeah I killed you guys pretty easily. You were weak back then. But 2B got a little colder that last time, and was pretty ruthless."

"Well, now you're the only friend we've got, so be glad we didn't actually kill you."

"I am. Alright, Pod, I need you to attach a cable to the end of that balcony up there. Make sure it's secure, we're pretty heavy chunks of metal."

"Affirmative." The trio of white and orange pods began to fly up to the top of the balcony.

"One thing I hate about having long hair," A2 said as she drew her sword, "is that it always gets caught in everything." With a quick slice, A2's white hair fell down around her. "That's better."

"I must say, you look better with short hair. Probably because you look like 2B."

"Yeah, we all know you have feelings for her."

"I do not!"

"Report: Lying to your teammates might upset said units. Proposal: Unit 9S should tell the truth to Units A2 and 2B," Pod 153 said.

"153, I think I actually like you!" A2 started laughing hysterically as a cable dropped down right behind her. "Oh, here's our ride."

"Let 2B go first. She's more equipped to handle an ambush if one's waiting for us," 9S said.

"Are you insulting me?" A2 asked, putting her sword away and approaching the cables.

"No, I'm just making the observation that with her pod and her enhanced weapon capabilities, she can do more in case of a fight. You can definitely go second."

"Bad idea, you're the one who isn't equipped for an ambush. Just remember, I've killed you already, more times than you remember."

"There will be no murder on my watch," 2B replied, grabbing onto the cable. "I'll see you two at the top, both perfectly intact."

"Yes, ma'am!" 9S jokingly saluted his partner.

"What did I tell you? You don't need to be so formal around me."

2B stared directly at 9S and A2 as the pod's cable wound back up, pulling her up. She patted one of the pods on the head.

"Gratitude confirmed," the pod replied.

Back on the ground, 153's sensors picked up signals belonging to various machines nearby. "Uh, A2? We've got company!"

"Dang it!"

Drawing her sword, A2 ran out into the small crowd of machines. "9S, a little help?"

"Combat was never meant to be my forte!"

"Says the idiot who attacked me! Hack them or something!"

"On it!"

9S flipped himself onto a pillar and began hacking the enemies from afar. As A2 cut them down, one by one, one of the machines shook violently before attacking their former comrades.

"What the hell?"

"Subjugation. They were too distracted by you to attack me, so I was able to rewire their systems to see you as an ally, and their fellow machines as foes."

"Good work. Your turn."

9S smiled at the other android before grabbing the cable. "You know, I like you better after I knew what happened."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't act so insane and attack people before understanding their motives."

"What about machines?"

A2 paused a bit in her thinking. Without a pod to help her locate the information she thought she knew, she was forced to wait to join her comrades in the Royal Chamber. As soon as the cable dropped, she grabbed on and watched as the animals below grew smaller and smaller. Before she knew it, she was standing right next to the corpse of one of her missions: The Forest King, Immanuel.


	3. Chapter 3: Reconnaissance Squad

"Nines!" A black-haired scanner cried out as the three androids entered the Library.

"4S! Glad you stayed safe out here."

4S glared at A2 and 2B with a puzzled look on his face. "More YoRHa? I thought the rest of you guys were wiped out."

"It's a long story," 2B said.

"I've got time. Besides, I've been looking for a way out of this place for a while. Any suggestions?"

"The Resistance Camp is always a good place to start," 2B added. "We really have nowhere else unless we want to set up our own camp."

Memories of the battle A2 fought alongside the Resistance flashed through her memory. The 16 androids who went on the mission. The three she came to know as friends before losing them. Number 4 destroying the server through-

A2 let the memories fade from her mind. They were gone now. As much as she wanted to fight alongside them again, all she had was her memories. It was her duty to remember.

"Yeah, the Resistance Camp sounds like a good idea."

A2 had something on her mind that she needed to resolve there anyways.

"So, you're 2B? I've heard quite a few good things about Battle Units. Have you ever fought this enemy?" 4S waved a screen in front of her that had a tank-like machine on the front.

"Yes, one in the Amusement Park."

"The Amusement Park sure seemed interesting, but I saw nothing but mindless drones shambling about when I went. It's practically a wasteland now. Only thing going for it is that awesome roller coaster! Humans sure were weird, but the stuff they came up with for entertainment! I wouldn't go back there, even if I wanted to."

"So, 4S, we wanted to tell you about the stuff that happened that brought all of us back from the dead," 9S organized some video files in his Pod's storage server.

"YOU WERE DEAD? How did it feel? How did you die? How'd you come back to life without the Bunker?"

"Woah, slow down! We can only answer so many questions at once!"

"Sorry," 4S said. "I'll try to remember for next time."

2B stared off into the forest, towards the Commercial Facility and the City Ruins, bringing out the memories of that horrible day. "Well, when I died, it just felt like all of the heat inside of me was leaking out from the stab wound, and my consciousness faded along with it," 2B said.

4S watched with the same look on his face that 9S had whenever he was talking about the locations they were visiting, or discovering a new piece of data. "Interesting. What happened?"

"Like almost everyone in YoRHa, I got infected with a logic virus. 9S had stopped us from syncing our data when he noticed some weird noise in the server when he was reconnecting after being captured by machines. We attempted to return to the Bunker to warn everyone, but the virus had already taken over. We escaped on some flight units, but I had to use myself as a decoy to save 9S from other infected YoRHa. I made it as far away from the Resistance Camps as I could, but I was ambushed there as well. A2 saved me, and I asked her to kill me to prevent it from infecting anyone else."

"So I stabbed her in the stomach with her own sword!"

"No need to sound so excited." 2B replied.

"We all died from stab wounds. A2 killed 2B, I killed A2, and A2 killed me."

"How did that work?" 4S rose an eyebrow at his comment.

"Simple. I let my guard down, and he used that opportunity to take me out. As I fell, he landed on my sword and got himself stabbed."

"Oof! Nines, you really need to watch what you do in battle."

"Hey! Scanners aren't meant for fighting!"

"I know. That's why we're usually working alone or in a large squadron where we are able to stay as far away from the machines as possible. Of course, there was your case"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, I'm just making an observation that you were oddly paired with a battle unit and actually had a partner, unlike the rest of us."

9S looked towards 2B, who, despite her practice at trying to conceal her emotions, was an open book. She looked like tears would start streaming out of her eyes at any moment, erupting all of the pain she hid under her cold guise. 9S reached for her hand. She looked back, smiling slightly before turning back ahead to watch for any other attacks.

"Whatever. Anyways, the pods here decided Project YoRHa was a load of crap and destroyed the protocols that were going to delete our data. Saved you too."

"Well, 042, 153, thanks!"

"Appreciated. Us pods have a duty to the remaining YoRHa units still in operation," 153 said. "We will do everything in our power to help you."

"I wonder where my pod flew off too…"

"Beginning search for Pod 078…"

"Thanks, 042!"

As the four units began walking out of the forest, 9S played a series of recordings from the Tower and his battle with A2. 4S took as many notes as he could about the fights he watched.

"What happened to those redheads?" 4S asked after the recording ended.

"Units Devola and Popola died gaining access to the Tower. Their bodies are most likely buried under dozens of meters of the crystalline silicon and carbon ruins of the Tower. Their memories are stored in a data file in Pod 153's memory banks. Question: Did the YoRHa Units 10B and 45D survive the collapse of the tower?" 042 asked.

"We might need to check that out." 2B said.

"Who're they?" A2 asked before she could think. She wasn't familiar with the two units they said, but she did remember the girls stationed in the desert who were always high on drugs. "Wait, never mind."

"Location of Pod 078 discovered. Proposal: Search for units Pod 078, 10B, and 45D in the Desert."

"The Desert? That's forever from here!" 4S complained.

"Yeah, it's a ways. We have limited options. 2B, do you still have any animal bait?"

"Of course I do. Have you ever ridden a moose before, 4S?" 2B set a small amount of bait on the ground right in front of the bridge to attratch the animals.

"WHAT? No way! I cannot do that!"

"Come on, 4S, I've done it plenty of times. Mostly because 2B loved it so much."

"Almost as much as being with you, Nines."

A small pack of moose began approaching the bait. A2 hopped on one of them immediately and began stroking its soft fur. 2B soon joined her on the back of another.

"With these, we can make it to the desert before sunrise. Do you want to be travelling during the midday sun?" 9S hopped on the last moose before extending his hand out to 4S.

"Fine. Let's hope none of us get hurt," 4S said.

"Don't worry, these guys break pretty much every fall." 2B began riding out of the forest at high speeds.

9S kicked the moose lightly, who started riding at a similar pace to 2B and A2, who were already well ahead of them.

"9S, don't- SLOW DOWN!" 4S screamed.

"Don't slow down? Okay!"

4S held on for dear life onto 9S's body. Machines all across the forest and city ruins ran away from 4S's loud screams. Even the girls were shocked at how high-pitched their fellow unit could shriek.

"Could you stop that? We're not going to die!" 9S shouted at the hysterical android behind him.

"NO! STOP THIS THING!"

"Sorry, not happening!"

9S only stopped once the group reached a lithograph in front of a small crevice in the cliffs. "We're here! 4S, you okay?"

"Never put me on one of those things again." 4S backed away slowly from the moose, and then ran into the oil field area once he was behind the lithograph.

"Everyone, give it up for 4S! Survived my awesome moose riding skills-" 9S jokingly started clapping.

A2 dismounted her moose. "Which are nonexistent."

"And went straight to throwing up some oil from motion sickness!"

The black-haired Scanner ran out of the reservoir, wiping a small amount of fluid from his lips. "9S! Get your ass over here! Something's wrong with these two units!" 4S yelled as loud as he could from the entrance of the cavern.

2B's eyes widened. "9S, you stay here. I'll go check things out." 2B dismounted and ran after the black-haired scanner. Upon entering into the camp, she saw one of the androids continuously punching the other, her eyes glowing red underneath her blindfold.

"We've gotta get out of here. 4S, go back to the others."

"What are you going to do?"

"What I was built to do, kill."


	4. Chapter 4: Widespread Illness

"4S? What's going on?" 9S frantically asked.

"She told me to keep you guys safe while she attempts to keep those two from infecting anyone else."

"You let her use herself as a decoy again!" 9S's chest tightened. He had no idea what to do. He ran towards the opening in the cliffs to see what was going on. 2B was locked in a heated battle.

4S began walking out into the desert.

"Wait, 4S!" A2 shouted. "How are you not infected?"

"I have no idea. The virus should've deactivated after the collapse of the machine's network! I'm getting away from those two in case it can be spread between androids."

4S's words sparked an idea in the other Scanner. 9S opened up a communication terminal on his pod. "Pod, send a transmission to Jackass."

"Affirmative. Initiating conversation."

"What the hell? Can't you see I'm busy tracking down those idiots behind Project YoRHa?"

"Jackass, it's me, 9S!"

"9S? You're alive? What do you want?"

"Have you noticed any weird side effects with your e-drug?"

A2's eyes widened at the realization about what happened to those two androids. She began running into the crevice to help 2B.

"A2! Where are you going?"

"2B needs my help!"

"I'll be right behind you as soon as I'm done here!"

Jackass looked through her records on the other side of the screen. As she looked, she saw the records she gathered on the androids who used her drug, and frowned. Her drug had the most obvious side effect of causing visual and auditory errors, but her records began to indicated that it could create symptoms almost identical to the machine's logic virus. However, there was a cure.

"9S, there's a way to save those androids. You need to gather these parts to create a cure. And whatever you do, DO NOT USE THE DRUG!"

The communication terminal closed, and a list of ingredients appeared on screen.

"Come on, Pod! Let's go!"

"Affirmative."

"And start making that cure!"

* * *

2B drew her sword and quickly knocked 45D away from the crazed android.

"Oh, 2B! Want some e-drugs? You'll fight for hours!" The redheaded B unit laughed without stopping, swinging her sword wildly without a real target. "Come on, let's fight!"

"10B, I told you that this was a bad idea!" 2B easily landed a hit on her target, knocking her to the ground. "I don't want to kill you."

"Oh 2B, you're so funny! Hiding behind that designation!"

2B skidded back to a halt. She couldn't understand how 10B knew of her true designation. No one was supposed to know, except the Commander. Of course, A2 and 9S had found out from the machines.

"Pretending you don't want to kill me? It's what you were built to do!"

"You don't understand what's going on!"

A flash of black and red caught 2B's eye before it slammed into 10B. "2B! Need some help?"

10B fell to the ground and started twitching violently. A2's sword was still resting on it's holder on her back. A2's attack had only temporarily paralyzed her.

"Thanks for the assist!"

"Any time." A2 drew her sword, taken from YoRHa androids that had come to kill her, and began to prepare an attack. "Now, what's the plan?"

"Kill 10B. 45D might have some life left in her, but I don't know how infected she'll be when she wakes up."

"Got it."

2B began to close in on 10B, using her pod to lock onto the rogue android before she took another opportunity to attack.

Slash, dodge, fire. It's just the same cycle over and over again. What's going on with her?

A2 had 10B nearly cornered with her quick evasion. Despite the B unit being more formidable at combat than she was, A2 had a few advantages of her own.

"You're so blurry, heehee!" 10B giggled. "Why don't you stop for a minute? I wanna fight you…"

"Oh yeah? I'll give you a fight!"

A2 knocked the B unit onto the ground as 2B prepped another attack. Her white katana lodged itself firmly in her chest, and a ring of deep red blood started spilling onto the sand.

"Let's play again. That was fun, heehee."

As her last giggle faded, the red faded from her eyes.

"2B!"

9S ran in quickly, and slid into 2B. She nearly lost her balance, but grabbed onto a rock. 9S landed on top of her before rolling onto the ground.

"Well, a little excited, aren't we?" 2B jokingly said.

"Sorry, 2B!"

9S grabbed 2B's hand and pulled her off of the rock she landed on. The sun was beginning to shine on the sand dunes all around them, and they didn't have much time before the heat began making their systems malfunction.

"Wait, where's 4S?"

"He got a little worried about becoming infected and heading towards the Desert Outpost. But he won't get infected, this "virus" isn't what it looks like. Jackass's drugs have a slight side effect that causes errors the circuits of the android, making it look like a logic virus after prolonged use. They'll be fine after a few minutes, but it looks like 10B's toast."

9S neared the blonde android, with his cure in hand. 45D still remained unconscious, and would've started drowning if it hadn't been for 9S's quick interjection. She started coughing as the cure was administered, slowly waking up from her slumber.

"What happened?"

"You went unconscious from a drug overdose, 45D," 9S said. "You've been taking them for months. You almost died."

"Really?"

"Yeah. 10B went crazy and started attacking you."

"Oh no, 10B!"

The blonde haired android approached her friend's body and began to cry. "Just leave me here guys. YoRHa's gone, and now she is too…"

9S tried to get closer. "45D, you can do anything you want now though!"

"I WAS HAPPY HERE! JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE!" 45D pushed the short android back into the oil pool.

2B walked over to help her partner before leaving the cliffs. "Come on, let's go."

A2 quickly followed behind them, using her speed to catch up. As the trio reached the City Ruins, they took a short break to catch their breath. 4S sat next to Aspen, the items vendor at this camp, and was using his pod to locate data on the local terrain.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why would she have gotten infected?" 4S shouted.

"It's simple, E-drugs," A2 said.

9S opened up an analysis graph Jackass had sent him during their escape and showed it to 4S and 2B. "Whatever Jackass used to make that can cause the systems to break down like it's infected with a logic virus when used for long periods of time. It's a good thing all of us were safe from its effects. But, just in case..." 9S took the remainder of the cure and gave it 2B.

"Thanks, Nines." 2B pulled her shorter partner into a quick hug.

"Anytime. Now, let's see here…" 9S began looking at 4S's data. "Your signal's being scrambled by something in the area. Might be remnants of the Machine's network, or-"

The screen turned to static, forming strange shapes and symbols on the screen. 9S attempted to look closer at it, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Wait, I think it might be onto something," A2 replied. "I ran into this freaky machine on a scooter when I was leaving the Forest. He was mumbling something about a flower and a girl he used to know, but his memories were all fuzzy. I think we need to look for him."

"First, the Resistance Camp. We need a rest." 2B was finally able to put away her sword before heading towards the ruins of a great city. The green color of the plants were starting to fade into oranges and reds. It was almost fall. The remains of thousands of machines lay around them, the materials slowly decaying into the dirt. With most of them rusted over from combat, the parts weren't going to last much longer. Besides, the Resistance had started to clean up the area for good, it wouldn't be too long before the androids began retaking the planet. Only a handful of machine lifeforms who had disconnected from the network were alive at this point, but were slowly dying off from Resistance attacks. If humanity were still alive, they would've finally had their planet back now.

The thoughts of what 9S had wished for their future from years past filled 2B's mind. Promises of trips to the mall to buy t-shirts, days spent fishing on the coast, and seeing the world beyond the ruins they'd been to. For the first time, they could actually make it happen.

But there were plenty of things they had left to do first.

"Nines, remember the promise I made you on our way through the Commercial Facility in May?"

"Of course! I'm supposed to buy you a t-shirt, right?"

"Yeah, but I think we should talk to the Resistance about what we should do next. Maybe they need help getting back on their feet after the disaster the war caused."

"With no machines, we never have to fight again," 4S said. "It's amazing, actually! I never thought this war would end!"

"Me neither, not after what happened in Oahu," A2 said.

YoRHa's first descent mission to the Surface… A2 had fought alongside a group of 15 other prototype YoRHa, but only her and 3 others survived the initial flight to the island. The other 3 she was with sacrificed themselves for the mission to succeed, as well as most of the Resistance.

A2 shook the memory out of her head, "Thank goodness there aren't many machines left. I don't care if some of them pretend to be good, they've killed way too many androids to be forgiven for their sins."

"I can see the Resistance's flag up ahead! Hurry up, guys!" 9S ran ahead of the group, beating them to the entrance of the camp.

"I didn't know you were so fast, Nines!" 2B quickly met up with him.

"I didn't know you actually liked my nickname!"

"I only didn't use it to try and detach myself from you. I'm the one who originally gave it to you!"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah! It was our first mission together. You brought the squad into this old castle in a different city. You stood atop the throne and said, "I am 9S, king of the new country of… YoRHa!" I responded with, "9S is not a proper name for a king. How about… Nines?" And you just rolled with it! Everyone on our squad started to call you that, until…"

"Until you killed me for the first time and you were sent away from the squad to prevent anyone else finding out your true identity."

"That's right…"

"Where was that castle, 2B? Maybe we should check it out again sometime."

"Umm… pod?"

The pod took a moment to respond, taking time to scan his memories from years ago. "I believe somewhere in western Europe, but I am having a hard time accessing memories from that far back. Give me some more time, and I can give you an updated answer."

"Thanks, pod." 2B rubbed the top of the pod's firing mechanism to show her appreciation as she and 9S entered the Resistance Camp.

The smell of slightly charred fabric and the sweet breeze of plant life from the surrounding ruins filled the air. 9S frowned when he saw that the Lunar Tears he placed for Devola and Popola after their sacrifice had been blown away or removed.

An idea then popped into his head. Just like he had left a grave for 2B in Emil's garden, he wanted to do something for Devola and Popola. Those twins had given everything for him to complete his mission, and he wished he could've helped them more than taking a few of their assignments.

He also wished, deep in his heart, that he could've saved them.

2B had walked into the room Anemone gave them after completing their trip to the desert, and was looking around with a sense of nostalgia and guilt. 9S followed her inside, seeing her slight frown.

"Something up?" 9S asked.

"It feels like it's been years since I've been here. It looks exactly as I left it, but…"

But this time we're not returning to take a slight break before heading back out to a mission. This could be our permanent home. 2B thought to herself.

"Are you sure you're okay, 2B?" 9S put a hand on his partner's shoulder.

No, Nines, I'm not. 2B thought about everything she wanted to say. I want to scream until my voice goes hoarse and cry until I break down. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that this isn't real and that I'll wake up one day and I'll be back at the Bunker, getting another assignment to kill you. And then what? Will I just… leave YoRHa? Will we both leave YoRHa? I can't do it. Not again. I never want to lose you again.

2B grabbed 9S in a tight embrace, hugging him nearly to the point of suffocation.

"2B?"

"Nines, please don't die."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try my best, if that's what you want. Then that means you can't die again either."

"Of course. We'll stay alive for each other."

For the first time in all of his lives, 9S cried tears of joy.


	5. Chapter 5: Blissful Death

A2 and 4S entered the camp together a few moments later. The door to 2B's room was shut, and A2 didn't want to disturb her friends. It was the first time they had gotten a chance to rest together for a while. Probably since they were adventuring before YoRHa's destruction.

4S was gazing in awe at the Resistance Camp. "This is so different from the Bunker! I haven't seen a non-YoRHa android in my entire life! Who's the leader here?"

"That would be me. I'm Anemone, pleased to meet you."

"4S. So, what do you guys do here?"

"Well, we used to deal with machines in the City Ruins, but with all of them dead now, I guess we're just here. The machines leaked all of the information behind Project YoRHa on their escape, so we really have no reason to do anything anymore. It's just us androids now."

"Oh…"

An idea sprung into 4S's mind as soon as he looked down at the ground, seeing a piece of the collapsed Tower at his feet.

"Say, I could make new places for all of use to live!"

"Sure, I don't mind. Just make sure you clear all supply orders with me beforehand. I don't want the Android Council to freak out over missing supplies."

"Will do, ma'am!" 4S shook with excitement before bouncing around to talk to all of the androids he could find before sundown.

A2 just shook her head at the Scanner before sitting in the entryway to the room 9S and 2B were waiting in. She could hear their muffled voices through the thin concrete walls, and though she tried her best to pay no mind to their voices, she couldn't really make out anything else.

"Hey 2B, I have any idea for something we should do."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to make graves for Devola and Popola. Something to honor them by."

"I'd like that. Where would you make such a thing?"

"Emil's Lunar Tear garden was my initial plan."

"Alright. When would you want to do that?"

"Whenever you want to. I know you're having a little bit of an emotional breakdown over there, so we can wait."

"No, I'd love to. That place is relaxing. I like it down there."

"Should we ask the others?"

"Only if they ask first."

"Alright. Do you have everything you need?"

A2 heard some shuffling before the door opened. 9S was sitting in 2B's arms, smiling giddily.

"So, what's up, A2?"

"Not much, just trying to escape 4S, who's talking to everyone he can."

"That's 4S for ya,"

"I heard you two. Graves for the twins?"

"Yep. Nines' idea. I think it's rather sweet. I heard what they did from Anemone. I wished I could've known them better."

"I'd like to come with you. Maybe we could have a small funeral?"

"What's that?" 2B asked.

"It's where you honor the dead by celebrating their lives. Old human cultures believed that completing these rituals would lead the souls of the dead to a peaceful afterlife," 9S said.

"Sounds good. Come on, guys. Let's go."

2B was fully sprinting with 9S in her arms, making her way through the City Ruins with ease. A2 was jealous of her friend's capabilities. She was still unsure if she should refer to 2B as her sister or a friend. By human standards, they were almost identical twins. Any human who saw them would say they were sisters, if they thought they were human...

"A2! Hurry up!"

A2 quickly rushed forward, dodging around a tree before catching up to the other two androids. They were about to cross the bridge leading to the commercial facility. There were a few animals relaxing in the water running from broken sewers they'd passed earlier.

The commercial facility's steel was slowly rusting away. Even through years of attempts to salvage the ruins through the disrepair they fell into during war, they still remained in a sad shape. Not like it mattered anyways, humanity would never use these places again.

"So, where is this garden, 9S?" A2 asked.

"Underneath this commercial facility. Emil led us here after we found some Lunar Tears throughout the area. I haven't looked too much into the research behind this place, but it's fairly interesting to say the least." 9S pressed the button for the elevator and the door opened. "Everyone ready?"

A2 followed 2B and 9S into the elevator. The ride down was both short and silent, but when they headed inside, they saw a familiar face waiting for them.

"Oh, hey guys! What's up?"

"Emil?" 2B blinked a few times underneath her visor to make sure there were no visual glitches.

"Yeah, it's me! I came down here trying to remember a few things. I remember times spent with friends. Friends I don't remember entirely, but I'm hoping one day I remember them."

A2 was hit by a mysterious pang of nostalgia. She knew her memories and personality were based off of some from the human's Lunar Server, but there was very little she knew about that person.

"What are you guys doing here?"

9S moved towards the grave he had left for 2B before drawing out a small knife. "We wanted to have a funeral for Devola and Popola."

"The girls from the village? I thought they died a long time ago!" Emil shouted.

"You knew the twins?" A2 asked.

"Yes? No? I don't know…"

"Two redheads. One with straight hair, one with curly. They were from the old world and their model went nuts at some point in the past, leading to humanity's downfall," 9S said as he finished carving a symbol of 2 intertwined flowers with the twins' initials below.

"Oh no… so those twins were-" Emil was interrupted by a pang of sadness and guilt. Even if he didn't remember his friends, he remembered what happened to the twins. "I would like to join you."

"Alright. I'll start, I guess," 2B picked a bouquet of the Lunar Tears and set them below the piece of wood 9S had placed in the dirt. "Though we didn't know each other for long, you did a lot for all of us. Your actions helped lead us back together in the end. Even if the actions of other models of your type did result in humanity's annihilation, you did your best to protect what you could. Even if it was just the sister you cared about more than anything. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Thank you for everything." 2B turned away from the grave after giving her short speech. "Emil?"

Emil slowly drove forward. "Devola and Popola… I don't remember everything you did, but what I do remember… it makes me sad just thinking about what you did. I know I almost died trying to save my friends from you, when you were just doing the job humanity designed you to do. I think I was human once. If I would've still been human when we met, I bet I would've wanted the same future you did. Goodbye, my friends. I hope to see you again someday."

9S stood up before taking a small chip from his backpack. "Hey guys. I don't know if we androids have souls, but I hope they're at rest." 9S hesitated for a moment before setting the chip inside the fabric he had tied to the post. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to save you. You deserved happiness after what you did. I'm glad I didn't find out most of the story until after you died. You did so much for me, and I barely repaid you. The things I did probably seemed insignificant to you. I hope you can forgive me for everything I've done to you. We're not perfect. We have our own decisions to make. And I'm hoping you don't have any regrets now. A2? Want to say anything?"

A2 raised her head solemnly from the hut she was sitting in. "Girls, give anyone who gave you hell on this world hell in the next. They deserve it."

2B smiled a bit at the other's remark. "They gave their lives in service to those who hated them. Despite everything, you remained kind and merciful to everyone you met. Sweet dreams."

Emil rolled towards A2. "Something on your mind?"

"Round guy, have you ever been somewhere and felt like you've been there but never really have?"

"I'm not sure. You remind me of someone I once knew, but I don't quite remember them."

"You'll remember someday."

9S picked a few of the flowers out of the ground and began weaving them into a crown. 2B approached Emil, the Lunar Tear he gave them in hand. "You said Lunar Tears could grant any wish, right?"

"People have said that, but I'm not sure it's accurate."

"Well, my wish came true."

"What did you wish for?"

"This."

"Devola and Popola's funeral?" Emil asked with a surprising tone.

"No, a happy ending."

9S sneaked up behind 2B and placed the wreath of flowers on her head. "6O was right, the Lunar Tears do suit you."

2B remembered 6O's glitched voice thanking her for the flowers during the machine's attack. She missed her bubbly partner, but her body was certainly obliterated during the Bunker's explosion. There was no way to save her.

"She was. Well, we should get back soon. It's almost night, and 4S is probably looking for us."

"That kid… Wonder what's going on in his head," 9S said.

Emil frowned sadly, before heading towards the elevator. "Guys, there's something I have to do. I'll catch up with you later. If you need to find me, I'll be in the desert."

"Emil-" 2B's cry was cut off by the shutting of the elevator door. "...He's going after those heads in the desert. Something's up."

"What?" A2 got up from the wall and reached for her sword.

"We'll investigate in the morning. I need time to rest," 9S yawned.

"Need me to carry you, Nines?"

"I mean, if you're offering."

2B lifted the smaller android into her arms as the elevator came back for them. 9S smiled up at his comrade. A smile that was engraved deep into 2B's memories. A smile like that could fix any pain she felt.


	6. Chapter 6: Nightmares and Dust

The sun was starting to set over the Resistance Camp, causing the other androids to turn in for the night to recharge for the next day. 4S was calmly sitting on a bench near the jukebox, listening to Old World music. 9S had fell asleep as 2B carried him back to their temporary home.

2B set him down on what they had decided was his bed before pulling the blanket over his body. "Sweet dreams, Nines. See you in the morning."

"You really care about him, don't ya?" A2 leaned against the door frame.

"Well, when you've been partnered with him for nearly four years straight, you might develop feelings for him too."

"Well, the last time I cared about someone... I had to kill them. I chose to stop caring and just focus on the mission."

"You're lucky. I tried to suppress them too much. I nearly exploded any time he got hurt."

"No wonder he got so mad at me when I killed you."

"Minor issues. Well, I'm going to rest now. Good night."

"Night."

A2 turned and closed the door behind her. Once 2B could tell she was out of earshot, she pet her pod on the head. "Gratitude confirmed."

"Pod, how much did 9S find out in the past few months?"

"Unsure. Proposal: Ask 9S when he wakes up."

"Alright. Good night, Pod."

"Good night, 2B."

2B climbed into bed and the pod pulled the cover over her before shutting down for the night. It wasn't long before 2B dozed off into a seemingly peaceful sleep.

Seemingly.

* * *

"2B."

"2B."

"2B!"

2B's eyes fluttered open to a large amount of red. She looked at her hands and they were covered in blood.

"2B, help."

She turned her head to see A2 dead on the ground and 9S bleeding out next to her.

"Nines!"

"2B, why'd you do it? After you promised me that we'd stay alive for each other?"

What did 2B do? She didn't remember. On the floor was her sword, the Virtuous Contract, dripping with the red blood of another unit.

"No… no I couldn't have! Nines!"

2B caught his body as it fell limp, losing most of its motor control. "2B, I knew you couldn't do it forever. What did we ever do to you?"

"Nines, I would never hurt you again! It couldn't have been me! Nines, please!"

"Calling me that now? Calling me that at the end of my life? 2B, stop lying to yourself. You loved that feeling of killing me. Every time was a pleasure for you, wasn't it?"

"NO! NO! STOP!"

"I always hated you too, 2B. You always brushed my curiosity aside for the sake of the mission. Never hesitated to do the job you were made to do. Honestly, you can't change."

2B's cries drowned out her words. She didn't care. Whatever happened couldn't be changed.

A life without 9S was one she didn't want to live.

"2B! Wake up!"

"2B, please! You're going to be okay!"

Why was he saying this now? He was dead, wasn't he?

* * *

With a jolt, 2B shot up. A hand was shaking her roughly. "Oh my god, are you okay?"

"Nines? What are you doing?"

"I woke up because I heard you mumbling in your sleep. Then the mumbling turned into you repeating my name over and over again. What happened?"

A nightmare. That's what happened. She wasn't sure how it happened. If Devola and Popola were around, they might've known, but there was no way they were going to meet up with any of their other units anytime soon.

"I dreamed that I killed you again… You, A2... I have no idea why I would've done such a thing."

"2B, you wouldn't do that unless you were infected with a virus. You would never hurt me, right?"

2B nodded, but nothing could stop her emotions from being contained. She turned away as tears started rolling down her face. 9S's hand reached up to her shoulder.

"Oh, 2B. You're stronger than you think, you know? You managed to overcome all of the emotional pain killing me caused you, however many times you'd received that mission. You knew I'd come back. Even if it was a minor setback, you wanted this more than anything." 9S sat next to 2B and laid his head on her shoulder. 2B ran her hand through his white hair. She thought he was reading her mind as he nestled next to her. "I'm going to protect you, okay?"

"But this time, if you die, there's no way you're coming back. What do I do then?"

"I promised you that I wouldn't die. I plan on keeping that promise unless there's no way for me to survive."

"I know. I just… I'm scared."

"Don't be. I'm always here for you. I'd rather stay here than anything else. As long as it makes you happy."

"Aren't emotions supposed to be prohibited?" 2B joked.

"Fuck off."

"Wow! I didn't know you knew how to swear."

"I picked it up from a few sassy androids."

"Devola and Popola?"

"No, A2 and Devola."

2B giggled.

"Hey, I made you smile. It's not often that I see one of those."

"Yeah, just being here with you makes me happy." 2B wrapped her arms around 9S's body, pulling him tight to her. "Can I just hold you here forever? Until the end of the world?"

"If that's what you want."

"Okay." 9S looked up at 2B and smiled. 2B smiled back as he wrapped his arms around her, but her dark thoughts weren't ready to leave for the night.

"Nines, how many times do you think I killed you?"

"Maybe 20?"

"20? I wish it were that few. Including the two times we detonated our black boxes during missions, 50? Give or take a couple..."

9S let go for a moment, and stared with wide eyes at 2B.

"50 times? Wow." 9S blinked the thought of 2B having to kill him away. "How… how did…"

"There were times I killed you after a few days. Sometimes you lasted a month or two. You accessed the server in the Bunker after I rescued you from Adam, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Sounds like something you'd do. Especially because…" 2B's voice trailed of as she held back tears.

"Because what?"

"Nevermind."

9S wrapped his arms back around 2B.

"But I made a promise to you once. We went to temple near the Forest and the Desert. It was the 10th or 11th time. I can't remember. We went inside, and I was acting off. We were ambushed by machines and I got infected with a virus. You tried to save me, but you saw it all. You even called me by my real designation. That was the only time. I was devastated in the fact that I had failed my mission, so I gave you my sword so you could take your revenge."

"But I didn't, did I?"

"No, you didn't. You took the sword to yourself instead, saying that you wanted to see me again, even if you wouldn't remember me. And I promised you that I would kill you whenever I was given the order. Until-" Words flashed in 2B's mind. Her pod telling her that she'd recieved a mail notification after landing in the City Ruins during the full-scale assault.

"Until I asked you to kill me after our battle with Eve."

2B was secretly relieved that 9S didn't correctly guess what was the exception. She nodded, looking off into the distance, though the farthest she could look was the wall a few feet away.

"I can't imagine the pain you've been through. I hope that you never have to experience that again. You're an amazing person, 2B. You rarely told me off for being who I am, just trying to remind me that "emotions are prohibited". I have one question for the people who designed us YoRHa, why give us emotions?"

"I have no idea. But, even thought that was the only thing I tried to monitor with you, I wish that I hadn't. I always tried not to care. To seem emotionless and cold and uncaring. But it was all a mask. Even though I'm not as curious, I'd love to experience everything I can before I shut down for good."

9S wiped a few tears from 2B's face. "I think that's enough emotions for one night. Maybe we should try to get some rest. For Emil's sake."

"Alright. Sweet dreams, Nines."

"Sweet dreams, 2B."

Leaning back into the bed, 2B and 9S fell back asleep in each other's arms. A place that neither would admit that they never wanted to leave.


	7. Chapter 7: Emil's Determination

A2 was awake before anyone else. The smell of dew on the grass filled the air as she left the camp and looked around the foggy ruins in the peaceful light of dawn.

"Is this what peace feels like?" A2 muttered to herself.

She began to exit the camp, taking a stroll around the now empty city. The chill of the fall air began to cool her exposed skin, or at least what was left of it. It needed replacing, but A2 didn't mind. The exposed plating gave her a sense of individuality. But she was still a little cold.

2B rose soon after, her arms still wrapped tightly around 9S. He was still asleep, but she gently shook him to wake him. While they still had their blindfolds on, she saw no need for them anymore. She slipped hers off and threw it in a corner.

"Good morning, 2B. Did you sleep well?" Pod 042 asked as it rebooted.

"Yes, Pod. Can you wake up Pod 153 to help 9S here. He doesn't seem like a morning person."

"Affirmative. Pod 042 to Pod 153. Your Unit needs assistance."

"Acknowledged. YoRHa Unit 9S, activate!"

Pod 153 flew over to 9S and gave him a small zap. "Hey! I'm up!"

"You were not."

"Oh, cram it. Let's go find A2 and head out into the desert to find Emil."

2B was slightly shocked at 9S's sudden energy. Was a jolt from the pod enough for him to completely wake up? She wasn't completely sure.

They found A2 wandering around outside the camp. She didn't look like she had much of a destination.

"A2!" 9S started waving to her from the Resistance Camp's entrance. She waved back before picking up her sword and heading towards them.

"So, the desert?" A2 asked.

"Yeah. I'm worried about Emil."

"Me too." 2B shook her head. "I just hope he's still alive."

"Yeah. That round guy's pretty tough. He probably will be. Let's go. The desert heat will make whatever's going on hard."

A2 hopped on a nearby moose and started off towards the desert. 2B and 9S ran as fast as they could to try and keep up, hopping on animals as they found them. Soon, the three of them were charging off into the desert. 2B could already feel the heat beating down on her as they dismounted near a target location their pods had marked when Emil first tipped them off about him leaving.

"Are these...Emil?" 9S asked, looking at the giant heads in the sand.

Next to the giant spheres, A2 saw a familiar cart, lying on its side. "Round thing, you okay?" A2 checked for damage and found very little.

2B ran up next to her, and shouted when she realized who it was, "Emil!"

"Watch...out…they're still…alive…" Through static, Emil made out the short warning as the ground began to rumble beneath them.

"Wha-"

2B tripped into 9S's arms as he joined the two women before looking up into the sky. "What is THAT?"

"Oh," A2 drew her sword and prepared for a fight, "are you kidding me?"

"Dammit…"

9S started contacting Emil with his pod. "Emil, what's happening?"

A stray laser landed between the androids, causing them to spread out. Dust was starting to fill the air, and the wind blew the delicate flowers off of 2B's head. A2 rubbed her side, which had been injured in her landing. "Okay, this is NOT good."

"Alert, magical weapons from the old world detected," Pod 042 said. "Magical elements have a high capability of penetrating all defense systems. Proposal, evade."

"Sound advice." 2B sent her pod out for a counterattack, dodging the translucent heads with ease.

9S attempted to dodge, but was grazed by a bullet. "I know that! 2B, tell your pod to shut up!"

"Negative. This pod's programming states that I cannot take an order from another android. My proposal was only for Unit 2B. However, following this pod's advice is good for the survival of all units. Especially the unsupported Unit A2."

A2's sword barely missed the white and orange pod. "It's not that easy, you dumbass!"

The clones began to break formation and fall to the ground beneath them. A2 recognized the patterns from a previous enemy, Hegel. A desert test unit she had fought shortly after killing 2B. But it began to speak in thousands to broken versions of Emil's voice.

"I… We're… Eternity… It hurts… It really hurts… Why just us… Why do we have to… We… We must…kill them all! We don't need it! We don't need this world!"

Emil's clones began screaming in unison. Pod 153's scanners picked up a change in the enemy's attack. "Alert, Elemental output of magical weapons has increased."

2B looked back to the Emil she had come to see as a friend. "No…" 9S could hear the heartbreak in her voice.

"Pod, I don't know how much more of this I can take!"

"Unit 9S has agreed to help Unit 2B. She may not be able to complete this mission without your help."

A2 threw her sword into a unit as hard as she could, shattering a giant head into multiple pieces. "This is batshit!"

9S's connection to Emil started playing, "Those are…what happened to my clones...Years of multiplying… Years of fighting in wars… Their sense of self just...deteriorated. I need to settle things with them. On my own."

"Stop it! You have to stand down!" 9S screamed through the dust storm. His pod fired multiple missiles at the spheres as the rose again.

"Enough!" 2B ran over to Emil, who was attempting to stand himself upright. "We can handle this. Don't worry about us."

2B turned back around and launched herself towards the enemies, slashing them as many times as she could as she fell back down.

"Shut up already, kid!" A2 called back.

2B could tell her circuitry would be in rough shape after the fight, but she would do anything to save her friend. To save any of them. Even as they cried out in pain, she rushed to their side to repair them. The Emil Clones didn't stand a chance against her unmatched determination.

As 2B finished her attack, the Clones began to sing, "La la...la...La la la...la la...la la la...La la la la la la la la la la la…"

With the heads back on the ground, A2 and 2B began to dash through them, slashing many to pieces with multiple cuts. 9S had rested on top of a rock, hacking the heads one by one to take them down.

_Eight. Seven. Six. Five._

Only a few remained now, slowly backing away from the androids to protect themselves. "I… We tried our best! In the rain, in the wind, in the storm. Even when our companions died, we kept fighting. But the eternal war… Our eternal pain… The eternal pain! It screamed at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world… The world had no meaning!" The Clones began to laugh hysterically. "It SCREAMED at us!"

"Ugh!" 2B landed on the sand as she attempted to run after the next unit to attack.

The laughter continued madly as the androids began to repair themselves, but A2 lost sight of the units as the dust storm raged on. "Sh*t…"

The laughter slowly turned to tears.

"STOP!" 9S shrieked as the heads began to surround Emil.

The Clones screamed out into the endless dust, "You… All of you… This pain! This sadness! This desperation! You know nothing about it!"

"But even so!" The androids looked next to them to see Emil upright, rolling towards the heads. "All of this is WRONG! No matter how hard or how painful…" Emil turned back to the androids. "They never gave up. They kept fighting because they believed they could overcome someday! Isn't that right, Kainé!? Even if it's pointless, you still have to do it! BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORLD MY FRIEND TRIED TO SAVE!"

The Clones backed up in fear as Emil began to prepare his attack. Shooting a bright laser at one beginning to self-destruct, Emil smiled as he thought of his old friends. Kainé, Weiss, Yonah, the Twins, Halua, and Weiss' companion he couldn't quite remember.

The Emil Clones were destroyed by Emil's final attack, shattering into chunks of thick metal. The androids stood up, searching for their friend to make sure that he was alright.

"Emil…" 9S looked at the mage's state. The attack caused a lot of his internal systems to be damaged.

"I think… this is it for me. I can't believe I remembered something so important...right at the end."

"Round guy, what happened? Did you remember something?"

"I was running...from the memories of losing those close to me… It was so hard… So painful… At the end...I caused all of you a lot of trouble. But now I get to see them again… Really soon…"

9S scanned the cart. "Hold on, Emil."

"You'll be alright." 2B set a hand on the small head. "We can repair you."

As his vision faded to white, he saw a figure with white hair, holding out a hand to him. "Oh...hey! There you are…" Slowly, more faces began to appear. "I'm so glad...I got to see you all again…"

"Emil…" A2 leaned down to the cart as its operator was destroyed as well. "Thanks for everything."

The three androids began to stumble back to the Resistance Camp with bloodied clothes and hopeless eyes. A sadness settled in deep in their hearts. A fate that waited in store for all of them.

As they headed back, 2B took a short detour into the Lunar Tear Garden. Beside the graves left for Devola and Popola, she set a mask bearing the face of another beloved friend. Beside it stood her sword, jammed deep in the ground with a promise to leave a life of fighting behind.

A life that had stolen too many friends from her already.


	8. Chapter 8: Peaceful Sleep

2B couldn't bear sleeping that night. After 9S finished her repairs, she went out into the City Ruins alone. She climbed as high as she could to watch the sunset over the ruins.

In the light of afternoon, she could see the figure of 4S down below, helping some of the Resistance Members build some sort of structure on the Tower's remains.

He had worked quickly to draw up the plans for a housing unit that could hold many androids and be as luxurious as the grand hotels of the Old World. At least, that was his hope. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night. He yawned as he placed the outline of the facility with rocks. His pod reminded him to take a break. He ignored the pods response.

"Heh. Kid's sure got a lot of creativity in that head of his."

"Proposal: Unit 2B should offer her assistance to Unit 4S"

"Proposal denied."

2B sat at the edge of the building, looking out to the horizon. She saw the sun start to shine brightly in front of her, spreading its orange light over the crumbling concrete.

2B's hand settled itself on top of her pod, petting its head. The pod didn't bother responding this time. He was certain 2B already knew how much he appreciated her efforts to thank him for all that he did.

But he was just doing as she commanded him, as per his programming. Anything he could do for some company was worth it to him.

"Pod, thanks for doing all of this. You've sparked a whole new era of peace."

"You are welcome, 2B."

"Pod, what's the weather forecast for tonight?"

"Clear skies, and a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Thanks."

Soon, Pod 042 noticed the signal of another pod nearby. He didn't bring it up to 2B. He just kept his current position underneath 2B's gentle touch.

"2B? What are you doing up here?" 9S set his hand on 2B's shoulder.

"Watching the sunset. It's very pretty, don't you think?"

"Yeah. It's just a few short moments of every day, but it makes the world look so beautiful."

9S sat next to 2B and played a song off of his pod. "I know you've played this before on the jukebox at the Resistance Camp. I had the pod record the file to play for you."

"That was nice of you," 2B said. "Thank you."

"Any time."

2B took her free arm and wrapped it around 9S. He looked back up at her face, and realized 2B had taken off her blindfold.

"You took it off. Why?"

"I don't need it anymore. YoRHa's gone. I thought it was unnecessary."

9S began untying his. For the first time since he had been killed by 2B after their fight with Eve, their eyes met.

"I never quite realized how beautiful the world is without those." 9S reached a hand up to 2B's cheek.

"Me neither. Let's just stay here for a while, okay?"

"Yeah."

9S looked back out towards the sunset as red began to streak across the sky. Pod 042 quietly slipped out from underneath 2B's hand. The two pods flew back into the nearby building.

"Units 2B and 9S seem to have gained some newfound emotions since the destruction of YoRHa. Proposal: Question the units about said feelings," 153 said.

"Proposal Denied. Units 2B and 9S should let their relationship blossom without intervention."

"We Tactical Support Units have a duty to our supported units. We need to monitor the situation."

"Pod 153, do not make them uncomfortable."

"Do not tell me what to do."

The black and red pod flew away, positioning itself in such a way that it could observe everything going on between 9S and 2B.

* * *

"2B, can I ask you a question?"

"Anything."

"What do you want to do now that the war is finally over?"

2B had to think about it. She'd never get beyond shopping for t-shirts whenever she did. Anything she wanted…

"I want to go to that castle where I first called you Nines, and ride around the City Ruins on a scooter."

"Why a scooter?"

"Emil did it, so why can't I?"

"Oh, okay."

2B frowned slightly at that comment. Up above them, the stars began to appear, and the Resistance members began to return inside. But neither of them moved. Even as the cool chill of night began to settle down over the world around them. Even as 153's music faded away. Even as their eyelids began to weigh down on their eyes.

2B turned her head up towards the stars. All of the data about constellations in her database only showed her vague shapes with no meaning. But this was different. The stars overhead made the sky look like an endless array of jewels stuck up so high and far away that they couldn't reach. Even the view from the Bunker wasn't as beautiful as this, with most of the light being drowned out someway or another.

"Did you know that most of the stars in the universe are binary systems? They have a partner for billions of years until they die. Isn't that beautiful, 2B? Kinda like us!"

"Except stars don't kill their companions every few weeks."

"And what did you say about killing me?"

"Never again."

"Exactly." 9S let go of 2B and leaned back on the concrete of the building. "You know what I want to do, 2B?"

"I'm sure it involves going shopping at some point for a t-shirt."

"Would it be weird if I wanted to get us matching ones?"

"Not at all."

"Great! I'll tell 4S that he should put a shopping mall in his new monument to androids or whatever he's calling it."

"Sounds like a great idea. And then what?"

"Well, I've always wanted to watch movies that the humans made. Our missions could take us anywhere, but our downtime was never long enough to watch anything."

"Fair enough."

"Oh! I also want to do it all with you."

"I want to do everything with you to, Nines."

"Are you ever gonna stop calling me that?"

"It'll be the last thing I ever say to you," 2B paused as she realized that her last words the LAST time she died were the same, "again."

"You know, this whole 'permanently dying' thing has me a little confused too."

"I guess it didn't stick."

"Yeah, no kidding. Do you want to go back to the Resistance Camp?"

"No."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Stay here with you. Just until morning."

"We need to sleep, you know."

"The sun has been down for less than 10 minutes."

"Fiiiiine."

2B laid down on the concrete next to him. She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him once more.

9S didn't even notice her movement. He was lost in thought. He couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't be long before she disappeared from his world for good. That he was living in a dreamworld. As if it was his own version of heaven. And all of these people were with his because they were dead or dreaming too. He was afraid of her getting another message from the Commander to kill him. He knew that she would never do such a thing. The only thing that both of them wanted was happiness. Did he deserve a cruel fate for his sins? Did he deserve to be killed over and over again?

2B felt the brush of hard leather through her thin gloves. She turned her head to see 9S looking at her with tears streaming down his face.

"Nines? What's wrong?"

"Somehow I think this all isn't real. It's just my version of what I wanted to happen after I died."

"I feel the same way, Nines." 2B sat up and looked back out to the city. She held him tightly. She didn't want him to see him cry anymore, but the tears wouldn't stop. "There's no way to prove that everyone's not lying to us. But… isn't the unknown a human fear to have?" 2B said.

"I guess."

"We don't have to _be_ human, we just have to be us. And I wouldn't be who I am without you. And you wouldn't either."

"You're right."

"I believe I've said before that the memories of the time we spend together feel like pure light in my heart. For the moments I remember the good memories we've shared, it's like my entire body goes weightless."

_2B, I- No, I can't tell her _THAT_. She'd get mad at me. Or would she? I don't even know anymore. But will any of this last? Is she just my imagination? If she did, then she'd say how much she cares about me and wants me to never leave._

2B lifted her hand to her partner's face. Their eyes met once more.

"2B, I-" 9S's words were cut off by 2B's lips meeting his.

_Heh, maybe she is real. I don't even think my fantasies got to that point_.

"Alright, well, I'll just shut up now then."

"No, I just…" 2B was so nervous that she kept fumbling her words. "I want… Nines, you…"

"No, it's okay. Take a moment if you need it. I'll still be here. I'm always going to be here."

2B smiled weakly at him, not having the energy to focus on anything but her words. _I want you to tell me as much as you want, Nines. I love your curiosity. I always did, except when it got you hurt or killed. You know so much. And sometimes I just want to hear your voice._

"You know that huge cloud of stars up there? That's one of the arms of the Milky Way. The humans always wanted to explore outside of our world, but they never made it past Mars. I wonder how far they'd be if they were still alive."

"I've never thought about it."

"There's so much humans never had the chance to learn about. I wonder what we'll discover."

"We've created androids so advanced that we can cry and laugh and bleed. And powerful weaponry. And orbital space stations."

"What _else_ we'll discover."

_Like the name of this emotion that's flooding my heart right now._

"We have a long time to do it," 2B said before starting to hum the song 153 was playing earlier. "As long as we're alive."

2B fell asleep in the next hour. 9S was looking through old human records for a while, as he couldn't seem to sleep. He'd fought hard, but nothing put him to sleep quicker than sating his curiosity.

"Pod, what's this here?"

"That is a depiction of a human ceremony called a wedding."

"What's that?"

"It's a ceremony where 2 people, often a man and a woman, pledged themselves to one another to form a family."

"Hmmm… interesting. Pod, save that image to my personal gallery. What can you tell me about typical wedding traditions?"

"Typically, a man would give the woman he wanted to marry a ring as a proposal."

"As in a suggestion?"

"Negative. A question for the woman to answer."

"Got it. Continue."

"They would then plan the ceremony over the course of a few months before having a priest of their chosen religion officially wed them with a holy book."

"Is that part really necessary?"

"Negative. This was the typical practice for Christian couples. Most couples also wrote a series of promises to each other called "vows". These were said in front of the couple's loved ones before they made the marriage final with a kiss."

"Interesting. Where do you think I'd find a ring?"

"Hypothesis: Give some Gold Ore to the Resistance Camp Weapons Trader and ask him to make one."

"Good idea, Pod. I'll ask him in the morning."

9S laid back down as his pod went back to her perch a few feet away.

"Good night, pod."

"Good night, 9S."


	9. Chapter 9: Birth of a Wish

4S continued to work through the night, even as snow began to fall on top of the rubble. The white blocks absorbed heat, making them a great insulator, but not a great foundation. From some pieces of rubble around him, he began to set up the first support beams.

Resistance members had been salvaging materials to rebuild after the war was over, but the machine lifeforms leaked the truth about YoRHa. They wanted to abandon him, as the other 3 YoRHa units had formed a great relationship. Anemone had even worked with A2 on her first mission. A few of the Resistance Members didn't care about what Project YoRHa was really about, and 4S had a few helpers during the day.

"Proposal: Unit 4S should take a break."

"Proposal denied! Pod, just help me get the poles put in place. It'll be quick."

"Negative. Unit 4S has spent 12 hours putting up the last 37 poles, and 12 remain. The remainder of this operation will take 4 hours, according to my estimations."

"Not if you help me, you dumb box!"

The Resistance members began to come out of the camp to help him. 4S stuck his tongue out at his pod when it wasn't looking as they joined him.

"Hey, 4S!" One of the Resistance members lifted a pole and started to place it in the ground. "What's this place for, anyway?"

"It's gonna be a giant house for all of us. How much do you guys know about the old hotels?"

The Resistance members looked confused. 4S's pod showed pictures of fancy hotels to the androids around them. "It's like a reward for all the work we've done in the machine wars."

The Resistance members gained hope in their eyes. 4S wanted to unite all of the androids in the area. It was his dream to create a happy world for everyone after fighting for so long.

2B and 9S began walking towards the construction, hand in hand.

"So, there was one time we were in the ruins of a village. You walked into a building and started freaking out because it was a library. You tried to read a book, but it crumbled away in your hands."

"That sounds awful just imagining it!"

"You almost cried. But your pod was able to scan the books and find the information inside of them, so you could read the old world information."

"Pod, you're awesome!" 9S held out his hand for a fist bump.

"Gratitude confirmed," the Pod replied.

4S saw 9S's action and was taken aback a little. "You… care for your dumb box?"

"Well, yeah! I kinda owe my entire life to 2B's, and mine helped so…"

"That still seems stupid." 4S turned back to his work, setting up the last of the support beams with ease. The beginning of the structure was looking good, but 4S needed a break. As much as he wanted to keep working, he knew what would happen if his body started to shut down in the middle of working. He could get really hurt.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna take a break in the Resistance Camp. You guys wanna help build?"

2B said, "No thanks. I think 9S and I are heading out on a short adventure. However, I think it would be a good idea to add a Lunar Tear garden inside, if you have the time."

"Will do, ma'am!"

"Don't call me ma'am."

"Fiiine! Sheesh, you B types sure do like to boss people around."

"I'm not trying to boss you around! I just don't like being called ma'am."

"Whatever. See you guys later."

"Wait, I have another request!"

"What is it, Nines? A computer lab for you to play hacking games on?"

"No, a shopping center."

"Oh, like a mall! Maybe we can fix up the one over by the Forest Kingdom."

"Have you seen that place lately?" 2B added. "It's so rusted over that it could collapse at any moment. When those machines attacked us there…"

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'll see what I can do!"

4S ran off towards the Resistance Camp, with his grey and blue pod following behind. A2 was nowhere to be found.

"So, 2B, what's first on our agenda?"

"The castle. Pod, did you finish-"

"Affirmative. The castle you and Unit 9S visited in July of 11942 is in southern France."

"How the hell are we getting there?" 9S asked, realizing that it would take them years on foot.

"We could easily modify a flight unit for faster travel. However, there are some Resistance members in Paris that have an Access Point set up there that we could transport to if they give us the code."

"Wow. You haven't even approached an Access Point since waking up."

_There's a reason for that, 9S. There's something the Captain sent me after landing in the City Ruins that you have no business seeing._ "Really? Well, let's make sure to backup our data sooner rather than later." _Yeah, as soon as I die. _"I need to go do something, on my own. I'll meet you back in the Resistance Camp before noon."

"Are you sure you don't want someone to go with you? What if you get hurt?"

"I'll be fine. I just have a few things to take care of."

9S frowned a little before going back to the Resistance Camp. 4S was resting by the jukebox, yet again, but wasn't asleep yet. 9S wondered why he was working so hard, but didn't bother to ask. He had a mission to finish anyways.

* * *

2B's pod followed her down the broken street, to a clearing filled with animals relaxing in the rays of sunlight filtering through the trees. The woman in black headed to the nearby Access Point and opened up her digital mailbox.

"Pod, scan for nearby black box signals."

"Scanning… 1 black box signal nearby."

2B backed away and began charging her pod's laser. She heard rustling in the trees nearby. She slowly raised the pod up to fire at the target. A figure entirely cloaked in black came out slowly, locking eyes with 2B.

"2B?" A familiar voice said.

"Who goes there?"

The figure removed her hood, revealing her messy hair and dirty face.

"It's me, A2! Jeez, 2B. What'd you think I'd do? Kill you for checking your email?"

"Sorry." 2B shut her pod's attack program off. "What are you doing dressed like that?"

"I was in the Forest Kingdom, hunting down some machines. I'm just heading back to resupply."

"Alright. Please leave. I have to do something."

"Bye."

The cloaked android sauntered away as 2B turned back towards the Access Point.

"Pod, delete all of my email files."

"Affirmative. 2B, where are you going?"

"I forgot something in the Lunar Tear garden last night. I need to get it back."

042 started to fly after 2B to catch up with her as she started across the bridge. The pod didn't notice the small bouquet of flowers in her hand.

It wasn't long before 2B was hit with the sweet smell of flowers. Next to the graves of the 3 others, 2B placed some flowers down with a letter. She had written it before 9S woke up earlier that morning.

"I wish you could've visited us, 6O. I think you would've loved this place more than anything. You not being here is the only reason I know this isn't a dream." 2B felt herself near tears. "Don't give up, wherever you are."

_I won't either_.

* * *

As 2B walked away, 9S took a moment to look around before he continued his quest. The Resistance Camp was the perfect place to begin asking if anyone could make what he wanted.

"Hello, Gladius."

"Oh, 9S! What can I help you with?"

"I need you to help me with something."

"Just spit it out already, I don't have all day. Accord is coming in a week!"

"Cool. Anyways, I want to make a present for 2B. Could you turn this gold ore into a ring of her?"

"Sure. When do you need it by?"

"As soon as possible?"

"I can have it done by noon."

"Good to hear. I'll pick it up before we go."

"Alright. 2,500G, please."

"Here you go, Gladius. See you later!"

9S handed the materials to the weapons master before turning back to his room.

"9S, what are you planning?" Anemone asked.

"My secret, ma'am. Can't tell anyone."

"Fine. See you later."

9S went into his room and turned on his hacking interface. "Pod, prepare some hacking games for me. I need a break."

"Affirmative."

As 9S's vision faded and he laid down on his bed, the pod rested on the shelf beside him.

_Let's go._


	10. Chapter 10: His Dream

As soon as 2B returned to the Resistance Camp, she found Anemone, helping androids with repairs in the Medic Tent. "Hold still, I'm gonna bandage your leg quick."

"Anemone?"

"Ah, 2B. Give me just a moment."

Anemone finished wrapping the other Resistance Member's leg before returning to her table. 2B followed behind her, giving her pod a quick pat before leaving the medical tent.

"What's up?"

"I need to contact the Resistance Camp in Paris."

"Alright. Why?"

"They owe me a favor."

"Fair enough. Can I enter it into your pod's database?"

"Go ahead."

The pod flew to Anemone and put a small screen in front of her. "The Resistance camps change their contact codes every 3 years. Standard protocol. Maybe we should stop using that method since machines don't hack into our network anymore."

"At least the only violent ones are in the Forest Kingdom. A2 said that she's going to head there soon, and dispose of as many as she can find. 4S did tell me the Amusement Park machines haven't been acting the most... sane recently."

The cloaked android walked up to them. "Someone mention my name?"

"We're just talking about the remaining hostile machines," Anemone responded. "By the way, thanks for dealing with the factory infestation."

"No problem. They seem never ending, but I'm slowly getting rid of them. How's 4S's project going?"

"Off to a good start. We didn't need to do much material collection. Jackass' offsite storage facilities held almost everything we needed to repair a few buildings once the 14th war ended. But now we don't _need_ to preserve humanity's structures. 4S has some good ideas."

"He sure does. Catch you guys later."

Anemone finished typing the password into 042's interface. She smiled at the white haired android. "Whatever you do, come back safe."

"I'll try."

"I heard what you did yesterday. You laid down your sword for good?"

"Yeah. I'm a little scared of heading out into the unknown, but I know I'll have Nines with me."

"Good luck."

2B turned away from the Resistance Leader and headed back into her room. 9S was lying on his bed, unmoving as the pod flew above him.

"Nines!"

After a few seconds, the male android sat up with a jolt. "Gah! 2B! Don't scare me like that!"

"Are you okay? You looked unconscious."

"Nope, just practicing my hacking skills. Who knows what's out there."

"Good idea. Alright. I'm contacting their camp now."

2B sat on her bed and began to send a transmission to the camp on the other side of the world.

"This is YoRHa Unit Number 2, Type B. If anyone receives this message, please respond."

"2B? YoRHa Unit? Weren't all of them wiped out?"

"No, there were a few still left."

"Well, we need some help. Some of the machines didn't shut down and are going berserk! Please send… activating…. Yo resis… poin…" The transmission faded to static as they activated the transport terminal.

"9S, let's go."

"Alright."

"Pod, reactivate NFCS weaponry and prepare for battle."

"Affirmative."

2B stepped into the access point as her worst fear was recognized. 9S could see the fear in her crystal blue eyes as he walked into the second transport terminal. He wished he could hold her hand as they traveled across the world together, but it wasn't meant to be.

* * *

Upon awakening on the other side, the two YoRHa found themselves in the middle of a burning camp.

"Pod!" 9S shouted, sending out a laser blast into a field of rampaging machines.

2B leaped out of the Access Point and started slashing at the machines. "Nines, be careful."

"You too, 2B."

After slashing through the metal creatures for a few minutes, the two androids were nearly hit by the blue Resistance bullets as a black-haired android stepped through the smoke.

"Whoops, sorry! Almost hit you there!"

"Be a little more careful next time, will you?" 9S checked himself for any damage before yelling at the Resistance Member.

"I said I was sorry! Sheesh, you YoRHa are sure pains in the ass. Anyways, I'm Luna. Thanks for dealing with those junkies."

"No thanks to you. Luna? Like the moon?" 9S asked.

"Yep! I was built way before humanity revealed themselves on the moon. I'm pretty good at survival."

"Obviously. So, anything else we need to deal with here?" 2B looked around the camp.

"Nope! The rest of the androids will be coming back here before sunrise. Where are you two headed?"

2B crossed her arms and headed towards the exit, "South of here. I ran a mission down there a few years ago and wanted to check a few things out."

"Leave something behind, missy?"

"Yes… and no."

"Well, be seeing you."

2B rolled her eyes and continued into the dark ruins. 9S ran and followed behind her. "It's really dark here. Are you sure that we can find our way out of here?"

"Well, they've perfectly preserved most of the monuments here. Unlike in the City Ruins, this place stayed fairly free of machines. And most of the machines here started disconnecting themselves from the network because the first peaceful machines originated here."

"How do you know all of that?"

2B turned around and glared at 9S. "Who do you think?"

"Of course it was me. Why would it have been anyone else?"

"Yeah, your curiosity both helps and hurts us sometimes."

"Fair enough. Alright, what's the plan?"

"The city's safe enough to travel through during the night. Besides, it's only three and a half hours until sunrise."

"2B, I think your concept of time is off."

"Nope, not at all."

2B started heading out into the city, which was slightly illuminated with the glow of a large tower in the distance. At first, 9S thought it might be another one of the machine's network terminals, but he soon discovered that it was an ancient human monument. "Wow, that's pretty bright. You can't even see the stars out here because of it," he stated.

"Yeah. The efforts in Europe to protect humanity's buildings have been pretty extensive compared to ours."

"True story. 4S's project seems insignificant compared to this."

"He has a few dozen androids working alongside him and he wants to finish it before winter fully sets in. You Scanner types are a little nuts sometimes."

"Hey!"

"You freak out about libraries."

"Alright, alright! Cram it, 2B! So, how do we get to Southern France by foot before winter comes?"

"Simple, we don't."

"Flight units?"

"No! Do you ever pay attention?"

"Yes, at least, I try to."

"Well, try harder."

9S crossed his arms and huffed a bit in frustration. "Fiiiiine."

"Sorry, Nines."

"No, I'm supposed to be the one who knows all of this. I should've done the research beforehand."

"There's a train station that opens in a little less than 2 hours. It still travels all over the country. We'll be there before noon."

"It feels like it was just noon before we left."

"It was. Time zones are a little weird."

"Yeah. My sensors are saying I need to go to sleep, but my body is wide awake."

"Hypothesis: This sensation is commonly referred to as "Jet Lag". Unit 9S should obtain humanity's choice beverage of coffee or similar stimulants that will cause him to be less tired."

"Do people even make coffee anymore?"

"Affirmative. The androids here in Paris have very few enemies and therefore have time to dedicate to promoting an almost human-esque society. Most things are shut down by this time of night, hence the lack of androids."

"Thanks, pod."

"Gratitude confirmed."

9S yawned and continued walking. "Of course, I could take a nap on the train."

"You would sleep anywhere if you could."

"At least I'm not as bad as the Commander!"

"Oh yeah, that time she fell asleep on her feet in the middle of giving us our mission orders." 2B laughed. "That was hilarious."

"Yeah, right after we got back from investigating the alien ship. Man, she really needs to keep up with maintenance."

"She's dead, 9S. She blew up with the rest of the Bunker."

"Right. I knew that."

9S and 2B continued talking as they made their way through the city and to the train station. The doors were still shut when they arrived, but they soon found themselves on the first train to their destination.

As 9S napped the long journey away, 2B checked her systems for any errors.

"Pod, how goes the diagnostics check?"

"Unit 2B does not have any abnormal functions at the moment."

"Good. Take a break, pod. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Affirmative."

The trio of pods sat down at an empty seat near them.

"Nines, you haven't done anything wrong." 2B stroked his white hair as he slept next to her. "You're just trying your best. I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier. Don't ever think that I don't care, because I do."

_I've cared about you since we first met._

* * *

The train skidded to a halt as it reached the city. 2B looked outside to see another perfectly maintained city. The androids here were lively and were happy with their current lives. 9S held 2B's hand as they walked through the city to the castle on the hill.

"So, that's where we went?"

"Yep."

"That place looks amazing."

"It looks pretty cool inside too."

"Let's go!"

It didn't take them long to walk through the city and to the top of the hill. The sun was shining just overhead as they walked inside. They were greeted by another dark-haired android wearing a red uniform.

"Hello, guys! You two don't look like classic androids."

9S replied, "We're from YoRHa."

"I thought they were wiped out."

"Somehow, all but 4 of us," 2B said. "We were lucky, I guess"

"Wait, you look familiar. You're…"

"2B. This is my partner, Ni- 9S. I worked here on a mission to destroy some machine lifeforms here a few years ago."

"Yeah, I do remember you! Juniper, at your service."

"Juniper? What do you do here?"

"I run this place, obviously! Most androids don't come here anymore. Feel free to look around!"

"Thank you."

"But your pods have to stay here. Sorry, just need to make sure they aren't rigged or anything."

"Affirmative. We will meet again, 2B and 9S."

"See you guys later!" 9S waved at his pod and she waved back as they headed inside.

The ground was completely clear of machines. It was nothing like the ruins they'd been in for so long. It seemed like it had never been touched by the alien creatures. It seemed like humans still lived here and took care of it. But none of that was true.

"So, that's where you first called me Nines, eh?"

"Yep. Welcome back, your majesty."

"I don't even remember coming here, but it's a nice place. 2B, would you care for a dance?" 9S held out his hand for the other android to grab.

2B walked towards him and they locked hands. "Alright, why not?"

Even without music, they danced as if they were in a ball from ancient times. It was unfamiliar to them both, and they stumbled a few times, but they eventually fell into perfect harmony.

"You know, 2B, I've been wondering for a while what we're supposed to do now. Seeing everything here has made me realize that maybe we should let ourselves show our human side."

"What do you mean, Nines?"

_Here we go. No turning back now, I guess._ 9S pulled the ring out of his bag.

"We can do anything we want now. We're defying whatever "God" Command told us about when we were soldiers by just being alive. Who knows how much time we have left, but…" 9S knelt before his partner, holding the ring out in front of him. "No matter what happens next, I never want to leave your side, 2B. Because the best way to lessen the burden of carrying the weight of the world is to share it with someone else."

"What."

_DAMN IT! How could I mess up like this?_

"I-I just…"

_No not again. Come on, 9S! Use your words!_

"Nines, I didn't know you kept so many emotions hidden under YoRHa's rules."

_Wait, what?_

9S was taken aback by 2B's sudden hug. "Yes."

_Well, mission succeeded? Nice going, Nines!_

"Thanks, 2B. I don't want you to be alone anymore."

"You'll never be alone anymore either, Nines. Do you want to go home?" 2B remembered the time 9S called their room in the Resistance Camp a "home to return to". She had soon come to think of the small room as a home as well.

"Yeah."

But 2B couldn't seem to let go. She wanted this moment to last forever.

"2B, you good?"

"No. Just a little longer."

"You sure do like hugs."

"Only from you. It's comforting somehow."

"Well, I enjoy them too."

"I'm glad."

After they finally let go, 2B removed her glove to put the ring on. "Thank you, Nines."

"You're welcome.

"Alright, let's go home."


	11. Chapter 11: The Ultimate Weapon

As they headed back through the town, 9S saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked again, but the face had disappeared.

"Hold up, 2B."

"What's up?"

"I think I saw Emil."

"That's impossible."

"No, it's not. There were millions of clones of him made. Maybe he remembers us!"

9S grabbed 2B's hand and began running through the market, looking around with sporadic determination for the familiar orb.

"Nines, I'm pretty sure this is a lost cause."

"It might be, but I still want to try."

As 9S ran, he tripped on a lose stone.

"Nines! You should be more careful than that."

"I'm fine, really."

A skeletal hand reached out to 9S, and he took it. "This place isn't really great for running around in, sir."

9S looked up to see Emil looking back at him. "Emil!"

"You know who I am?"

"Yeah, we've met one of your clones. Pod-"

"Affirmative." 153 brought up a picture of the shopkeeper that ran around the City Ruins for many weeks.

"Oh, right. My memory is so fragmented nowadays…"

2B brushed some dirt off of 9S's jacket. "This Emil talked about the "original" a few times, saying that he hadn't seen him in years. Most of the Emils haven't, I imagine."

"I am the original."

"Oh! Well, it's an honor to meet you." 9S bowed slightly.

"No need to be formal. I'm happy to meet you. Tell me, what happened to the clones who were in your area?"

"That's…" 2B paused, "a long story."

"Well, I'll be glad to talk about it later. Meet me at this address in 4 hours."

Emil waved to 2B and 9S as they walked away from the market. 2B crossed her arms as a cold breeze passed her, chilling her body.

"It sure is cold here."

"I think it's the winds coming from the sea. We can find a cafe to relax in if you don't like it out here."

"That'd be nice. Thank you, Nines."

"Anytime."

Within a few minutes, they were in a small restaurant that was fairly empty. The android at the counter looked at them with complete disgust on her face. "YoRHa? You here to kill us?"

"Why the hell would you think that?" 2B's eyes narrowed at the black-haired woman.

"Last time a YoRHa unit came here, she went on a complete rampage. Something about not being able to complete her mission."

_7E… What was she ordered to do?_ 2B wondered.

"I think I knew her. Was this about 3 years ago?"

"Yeah. Silver hair in a braid. Black dress very similar to yours. Thick black visor. Y'know, standard YoRHa appearance."

_Definitely 7E._

"Well, the two of us comprise half of all of the YoRHa remaining, and 2B here's vowed not to fight unless it's to help keep the peace. Especially here where the machines are few and mostly peaceful."

"Fine. But this doesn't mean I don't trust you."

_Of course not. Who would trust an Executioner?_

"Alright."

2B sat down at one of the tables as 9S ordered them some of the cafe's "android safe" food. After what Devola tried, 9S wasn't sure what food was safe anymore.

"Your friend over there looks like she knows who I talked about. It wasn't her, but you should be wary in case you see that crazy unit ever again."

"She's long dead, ma'am. The Bunker was destroyed 3 months ago."

"Then how'd four of you survive?"

"It's a long story."

9S walked away after handing over some G to the android and taking the tray with him.

"Boy, these androids really have something against us."

"I wish I knew more about what our mission really was. The unit she described was 7E. One of our squadmates."

"I didn't know anything about a 7E."

"She only came along for missions just after I had recently completed mine, and for the first one we went on here. She was my student, I guess, but I never really taught her anything."

_But I did. I don't want you to know what really happened that day. Nines, you… wouldn't trust me after this._

* * *

**June 5th, 11942**

After a long day of venturing through the castle, the YoRHa units were given another mission somewhere else. A group of flight units came to pick them up. It wasn't very far from where they currently were, just over the nearby sea.

"7E, I need you to follow 2B and watch what she does. Your pod should be able to help you out."

"Yes, ma'am!" 7E saluted the projection of the Commander before boarding her flight unit.

She was shorter than most YoRHa, a little under 1.5 meters tall. It made her seem more innocent and childlike to her squadmates. To some, she was just known as Number 7. Only 1D and 2B knew who she actually was. She was ordered to stay in town while the others cleared out the machines, but she knew what she was going to watch soon. They landed in the ruins of a civilization that existed along a river. Sand covered the majority of the area, with only the tops of buildings and a few temples sticking out of the sand. An access point stood up near some of the Ruins.

As 2B landed, she received a notification about an email.

"You hear that, 7E?"

"Yeah. Which one of us do you have to kill?"

"9S."

"Oof. Well, what do we do first?"

"Head to these coordinates and have your pod observe the area. I'll be there in a few minutes, but no one else can know you're there."

"Got it!"

2B headed towards the Access Point to check the message, even though she was nowhere near ready for her upcoming mission.

* * *

2B's eyes filled with regret as she looked at 9S. She had become too close to him every time she tried to kill him, hadn't she? She thought it would never happen, but it did.

"Honestly, I'm not sure if we can trust this food. That android seemed to not like you."

"Well, I don't blame her. You're really the only one who does."

"That's not true, 2B! A2… well A2's A2. She doesn't seem to like anyone, but she puts up with us. And 6O liked you too."

"She's dead."

"You don't always need to be so serious. We should get going."

"Alright."

It was nearly nightfall when 9S and 2B reached the house. The manor stood 3 stories tall, and looked ominous with its dark color. Emil exited the house to greet his guests.

"Hello again, friends! Come inside!"

The skeletal figure led the two androids inside to a room with a couch and a few chairs.

Emil sat down on the couch and stared intensely and the pods. "What are those?"

"The pods? They're support units that help us with data storage, contacting other units, and our map system." 2B patted one of hers on the head. "They follow us everywhere for that sole purpose."

"This pod promised that he would protect YoRHa Unit 2B in any situation. I believe I have done my job properly."

"Couldn't save me from that Logic Virus, but you sure do try."

Emil chuckled a little. "Do either of you two need anything? It's almost time for dinner, I think."

"Why not?" 9S replied.

"Alright, I'll see what we've got on the menu tonight."

Emil left, as 2B wandered around the manor, looking at the scenery. "This place has stood for a long time. It looks like it's never been damaged…"

"Emil is a powerful magician. Maybe he cast an enchantment on this house to make it resistant to wear and tear."

"Maybe." 2B turned away from a painting of a young girl, and back to see Emil carrying a tray.

"I had some of the other Emils prepare extra dishes for you guys. Not like it takes much, we have to cook for about 3 dozen of us on a normal night."

"What about the rest of your clones?" 2B asked as she sat down and took a plate from the tray.

She wasn't even sure what she was eating, or if it would damage her. Androids didn't need to eat, but they did enjoy engaging in human-like activities. 042 had told her that she did need to better understand human culture when they were helping that machine in the Forest Kingdom.

"I've been trying to round them up, but many of them are dying due to that seemingly never-ending war. It's been quite an adventure since I became this."

"You know, 2B and I have had some interesting adventures too. We were tasked with a reconnaissance mission with a machine known as Pascal, and not an hour later, we launched a full scale invasion of a machine faction called the Forest Kingdom."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we almost got killed by someone we now call our closest companion. Not that we've seen her in a while."

"I saw her earlier today, actually." 2B added. "She's been working to finish off the disconnected machines who've begun to go crazy."

"That's helpful. I bet she's a great person too!"

"The other Emil was reminded of a friend when he saw her," 9S remembered. "I don't think he mentioned a name though."

"I've had a lot of friends over the years, but I'll never forget Weiss, Kainé, and Yonah…"

Emil thought he could see another figure in his memories, but only barely… He tried to reach out to the cloudy the memories, but couldn't.

"How did you survive this long anyways?"

"I have no idea, honestly. Guess I'm just that good at magic. Hey, can I ask you guys a favor?"

9S smiled, "Sure."

"I want you to head down into a cavern underneath Tokyo. That's where I'm originally from, but I've been travelling many places to try and rid the world of machines. Anyways, I figured out how to store the memories of all of my clones on a computer. I'd like you to send any of the data you can to me, please."

"Of course, anything to help a friend like you!" 9S looked at 2B, who hadn't said anything in a while. "I think it's best that we leave soon anyways. 2B looks a little tired."

"What?" 2B snapped out of a short daze. "I'm fine! Thanks for dinner, Emil! See you again soon!"

"Goodbye! Make sure to visit again soon!"

After they left, 2B smiled back at 9S. "You're always the helpful one, aren't you Nines?"

"I guess so. It's kinda worth it. We get compensated for our work and it's great to be helping out friends. Fighting things for missions though, not my thing."

"Fighting's never really been your thing."

"And hiding your emotions has never been yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You always tried to come off as cold and unemotional, but whenever I was in trouble... It's like you were a completely different person!"

"Guess a few dozen orders to kill a partner after he did something stupid was enough to make me want to protect you more fiercely."

"But my curiosity is the reason we're here. The next train back to Paris leaves in an hour. We'd better hurry!"

"I'll race you!"

"You're on!"

They headed out together into the darkness, unaware of the figure watching them from afar. Her black clothes and hair hid her in the shadows of the setting sun.

"Alert the captain, 7E. I've found them."


	12. Chapter 12: The Color of Depression

_I've been in this forest for 3 days. I'VE BEEN IN THIS GODDAMN FUCKING FOREST FOR 3 DAYS._

A2 threw her sword in anger against a nearby rock. The machines had finally subsided, but she was lost. She picked her sword back up, which was thankfully still intact. She'd given it quite the beating over the years, since she picked it off of the corpse of the first 2E unit sent to kill her. Their swords were special, in her mind. They rarely broke, and weren't hard to take care of. As long as she cleaned the oil off after each day's worth of massacring machines, the only thing to worry about were the few scratches it got over the years.

"I managed to get out of here last time, but now I don't even know half of what I'm seeing!"

Maybe A2 was wrong to let herself go on missions like this without any help. The pod would've helped her out, even if it was a dumbass. A2 was so lost that she hadn't seen an access point all since she left the castle. She continued onward, looking for any machines or androids that could possibly help her. The only thing she found were a few animals that barely noticed her presence.

"This is a load of bullshit!" A2 slashed at a nearby moose.

"That's not very nice, you know?" A woman with a sweet voice responded.

A2 turned over to see a black-haired woman with glasses standing by a nearby tree. She must've just gotten here, because A2 was pretty sure she'd passed that tree 5 times already.

"Who are you?"

"Accord, the observer. I was built to watch over the events of history." Accord's briefcase let out a loud ping. "Oh! And I also sell weapons."

"Well, do you know how to get the fuck out of this goddamn forest?"

The woman laughed. "Of course I do, silly! I know this entire world thrice over! Where are you headed?"

"The Resistance Camp..." A2's voice trailed off as she looked the woman over. Her sense of style was... odd to say the least, but her voice reminded her of Popola. Oh, how she already missed those two redheads. Maybe if 9S hadn't been so careless, they'd still be alive and she wouldn't be in this mess.

"How long have you been alive?"

"It's impolite to ask a woman her age! Well… if you must know, I'm as old as the Intoners from the Other World as your creators, the humans, called it. About… 11,000 years old? Maybe more?"

"How are you in such good condition?"

"I tend to stay away from fighting. I'm more like a Scanner type to you YoRHa units."

A2 was taken aback by the woman's knowledge.

"How do you know so much about us?"

"I record all of the information I can about the world. And all of the projects you androids devised throughout history. My role as an observer helped you androids to be devised in the first place."

"You're quite chatty for someone that records history. How do you do it all by yourself?"

"I'm one of about two hundred Accord models. We have quite the record on everything, but I'm trying to figure out more about the end of Project YoRHa and the whole Tower situation. Are you the only YoRHa unit left?"

"No."

"Well, I'd still like to hear your story."

"My story? Well, that's a sob fest you don't want to hear."

"I once had to observe an ancient songstress who killed all five of her sisters. Honestly, you remind me a bit of her..."

A2's eyes widened.

"I've observed most of this world's history from afar. I arrived here along with the Beast and Dragon that spread White Chlorination Syndrome when I was sent to observe a young man named Caim."

"That was over 10,000 years ago."

"Yes, and now it's time to start a new record for you. A2, correct?"

"How do you know my name?"

"I took a brain scan and found your YoRHa ID upon first encountering you."

"Like that weird Emil did… Stay out of my head."

"My apologies, ma'am."

"Don't be so damn formal with me! I'm a battle android, not a princess. Jeez, everyone's so uptight these days."

"I hate to say this, but you're the one being so uptight at the moment. Now, how did you survive the fall of YoRHa?"

"I left YoRHa 3 and a half years before it fell, survived multiple encounters with 9S and 2E, better known as 2B, and helped destroy the machine's Tower."

"Interesting. Are 9S and 2E still alive too?"

"Yeah. Those two, 4S, and me. Just don't call her 2E."

"Why not?"

"She doesn't like it. E stands for "Executioner", and she was forced to execute her partner 9S multiple times."

"Oof. How's he still alive?"

"Who knows. That idiot nearly got all 3 of us killed at one point."

"Sounds like quite the story. Why'd you leave YoRHa?"

"I was the only survivor of a squad of 16 during the assault on Mt. Ka'ala's server."

"Thank you for making this so easy... Now, could you take me to your comrades 9S and 2B?"

"Sure, just lead me out of this damn forest!"

"Got it!"

* * *

After a few hours of travelling through the dense forest, the sun was beginning to set. A2 saw the back gate of the Commercial Facility through the amber light.

"Good, I know the rest of the way from here. Be careful, there's a bunch of white shit EVERYWHERE!"

"Yes... Crystallized silicon and carbon that's about as white as your hair. It's a good thing you wear black, otherwise you might get lost."

"Yeah..." A2 rolled her eyes, knowing that even her black outfit didn't keep her from getting lost anywhere she went.

She led the woman through the City Ruins, being careful to avoid the remaining machine corpses littered about the ground.

"Wow, I barely recognize the city nowadays. I haven't visited in over a decade. The rebuilding efforts really were scrapped quite a bit once the 14th war started, weren't they?"

"Yeah. There's nothing modern here."

"Unlike Europe. That place is almost exactly as it used to be. Only exception is that all of its inhabitants are androids rather than humans. It's not the Europe I came from, but…"

"The Europe of the Other World?"

"Yeah. We called it Midgard, and all the various countries were united under one power. Six sorceresses soon came about using their power of song to enchant the public. Except one. Zero was an odd one, but she loved her dragon. The sisters never got along the greatest, but they stayed in peace for a while. Until Zero decided that the Intoners needed to end."

"She killed the others, didn't she?"

"Yeah. One of her sisters made a clone that ended up killing her. He formed a cult. A few hundred years later, their leader, Manah, ended up causing the Queen Beast to end up here. I can still remember the people's screams when they saw it arrive here. Now it looks nowhere near the same."

"It ended up in this City?"

"Yeah, Tokyo! Not much changed upon the portal opening, just the sudden appearance of that castle. Time has ruined this place, though. The desert grew and buried a lot in a thick layer of sand."

"No wonder this place looks like hell."

"Oh, it's not that bad. Just a few slight changes."

"I wonder if this place is doomed compared to the rest of the world."

"Well, at least this isn't the Americas! The machines completely took that place over years ago. Maybe now it's turned into a barren wasteland. I've noticed so many machines turning to pacifism. Except for the Forest Kingdom. They're as viscous as a pack of wolves."

"Like it matters now."

A2 walked across the wooden plank that the Resistance had recently set up to get over the sinkhole that had opened up. This area was mostly free of debris from the tower, so the holes hadn't been filled.

The streams throughout the City Ruins were slowly beginning to fill up with dead leaves. The scenery around the androids was changing from the vibrant greens of spring and summer to the dull reds and oranges of fall. A2 was slightly annoyed by the cold weather coming in, but had her cloak to keep her warm.

"I guess… Well, we're here, aren't we?" Accord asked once she saw the Resistance's insignia.

"How'd you know?"

"I've visited here before. I sell weapons to Gladius and other weapons dealers throughout the world."

"Nice."

"Alright, thank you A2! I hope to see you again."

"No, thank you. I think I would've died in that forest if it weren't for you."

"Well, you're welcome then."

A2 rested against the wall of a nearby building as the android walked into the Resistance Camp, and out of earshot.

"How the hell can she be 11,000 years old!?"


	13. Chapter 13: Memories of Dust

Accord was immediately greeted by 4S almost smacking her in the face with a board. The Scanner started shaking violently as she scanned him over.

"4S, is it? Sorry for getting in your way. Go ahead."

"My apologies, ma'am!"

"Stay safe!"

Anemone left her post organizing the back storage area once she heard Accord had arrived. She was well known by most of the older androids as the leader of the android forces and the first one of their kind.

"Accord! Nice to see you again!"

"Anemone! Has something happened since the last time I've visited?"

"Machine attacks, an entire 6-year war, and the death of our previous leader."

"Oh no… Daliah was such a great leader. Not that you aren't, Anemone. I just knew her better." Accord blushed at her lack of care for Anemone's hard work.

"You're fine, Accord. What can we help you with this time?"

"I need to speak to the remaining YoRHa if possible. And I have a new supply of weapons for Gladius."

Anemone's eyes widened at Accord's request. "2B and 9S?"

"Yes. You see, I record history, and they've been witness to the end of the Machine Lifeforms. I'm very interested in how this happened."

"Fair enough. They're currently exploring the caves below the City Ruins for information about a mysterious being named Emil."

"Emil? Wow, that's a name I haven't heard in years."

"You know everyone, don't you?"

"Pretty much! Well, gotta run!"

* * *

The elevator came to a slow halt as it reached the end of its tracks.

"Alright. I'm… picking up hostiles. This doesn't sound good."

"A defensive system Emil left for any intruders, maybe?"

"I wouldn't bet on that, 2B. Maybe we can try and avoid them as much as possible."

2B and 9S stepped out of the elevator and into the dark cavern. They soon turned their pods' lights on and continued into the darkness.

"Oh, that's why…" 9S looked around and saw corpses of machine lifeforms littered about. "The signals just got trapped in the stone and didn't shut down. Pod, mark this place as hostile-free for now."

"Affirmative."

"Nines, are you sure we'll find anything down here. Honestly, it looks really barren."

"Who knows. It's so far underground that any signals could be false ones."

2B continued ahead, towards the faint daylight filtering from above them. "Another sinkhole?"

"Looks like it. Water must've eroded this place a long time ago and formed it. I'm surprised we haven't seen this before. It seems like it's inside the City Ruins, but…" 9S's words trailed off as his eyes spotted a locked chest out of the corner of his eye. "I'm gonna check this out."

After hacking open the electronic lock, 9S found papers regarding the human's history. "Project Gestalt Report 4. What even _was_ that?"

An unfamiliar voice echoed out behind them. "It was a project created to save humanity after they were infected with a disease from my world called White Chlorination Syndrome. Humans were faced with a choice to join an evil god in its domination of the planet. Those who agreed turned into mindless drones serving this god. Those who refused crumbled away into salt."

"Who are you?"

"I'm pretty sure we last saw each other 2 hours ago, A2. I thought I was being led to 2B!"

"She is 2B! I know they look similar, but… They dress completely differently _AND _have different voices."

"My mistake. I'm Accord. Maybe you've heard of me."

"You're the woman who supplies the Resistance with the weapons, aren't you? Gladius told me about you the other day. I'm 9S."

"Nice to meet you. What are you guys doing down in this cave?"

"Learning about one of our friends who died about a week ago."

"Emil's dead? That can't be true in the slightest!"

"One of his clones." 2B crossed her arms and looked down at a glowing lake below. "That doesn't look safe."

"Ah, yes. Of course. I know so much about history that even I mix it up sometimes! Which is why I'm here to talk to you."

"What would we know that you'd care about?" 2B asked.

"I record all of the major events of history and record them for future uses. I've seen more death and destruction than you two can even comprehend."

"So what do you want to know?" 9S stepped away from the ledge and sat down on a rock.

"About how you two destroyed the machine lifeforms' network."

After hours of retelling the events of the past three years, Accord finally understood. Tears were still streaming down 2B's face from when she had to tell about the many times she had killed 9S. Their hands were still tightly locked together.

"I understand now. I'm sorry for bringing back such painful memories. Killing a friend is always hard."

_You have no idea, do you? _2B's mind screamed. _We're more than friends. We…_

What was she supposed to call them? She knew "fiancees" was the correct term, but she didn't know how many androids would understand.

"Well, we have a mission to finish. See you around."

2B jumped down into the sinkhole, holding her pod as it safely flew her down to the next ledge.

"Sorry, she doesn't really like having to relive those memories."

"I can tell. She's haunted by something."

"We both care about each other a lot, Miss Accord. Stay safe out there."

"I have for a long time. Don't give up on her. She needs your help."

"Yeah, yeah."

9S jumped down into the cave below after his partner, taking his pod in hand and floating down somewhat gracefully.

"Hey."

"That woman weirds me out a little bit. Of course, I'm not used to new faces."

"No kidding. You've barely left my side for the past two weeks."

2B just smiled a bit before heading into the dark caves. At the end was another locked chest.

"Just rare materials… Not bad. Maybe we can use these later."

"Yeah, I'd keep them. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring?"

Now, all that remained was the cave beneath the lake. 2B began to wonder how Emil even managed to get down here in the first place. The pods soon flew down with their supported units in hand to the shore of the lake.

"Nines, feel free to look around and find any other locked chests. I'm gonna fish for a bit."

"Alright. Guess you missed that bit of relaxation since dying, huh?"

"A little bit."

2B soon sent the pod out into the water to fish as 9S looked around the cave. He only found one locked chest before he decided to check back on 2B. He began looking at the other report of the project's status from that date.

"The humans managed to create quite a bit of interesting technology back in their day. Separating bodies from souls? The relapses weren't good, but it's quite amazing how they did this."

"And they created the first androids."

"Yeah, Devola and Popola. Though I guess Accord was really the first android."

"Affirmative. Though she comes from another world, she is the first android that existed on this planet," Pod 153 verified.

"Complete." Pod 042 flew up out of the water after catching another fish.

"How many did you catch?" 9S asked.

"Five."

"Nice job. There's a door at the other end of this cavern. It's a bit of a hike, but should we check it out?"

2B blinked a little bit at the familiar words. "Sure."

"So, what's our plan when we get back?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I kinda proposed to you three days ago! Don't we need to plan?"

"Right."

"I bet someone in the Resistance Camp could help you make the proper attire for the ceremony!"

"I'll ask around when we get back."

"Wow, humans sure spent a lot of time worrying about this. I think we should discuss it more after we're done."

"Sounds good."

"You're being really quiet today, 2B. Everything okay?"

2B never was one for words, but 9S had determined it was mostly to keep her focus on combat or to prevent herself from getting attached to him before…

"No."

"What's wrong?"

The guilt was beginning to eat away at 2B. Memories of every time she killed her partner played through her head.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Aw, come on, 2B! You can always talk to me!"

2B turned around and stopped dead in her tracks. "You want to know what I've been thinking about?"

"If it'll make you feel better, then yeah!"

"Pod."

"Affirmative."

Memory clips from 2B's storage played themselves out on the Pod's projector. 9S stared in horror as he watched himself get killed over and over.

"Oh."

"Sometimes I wished I could remove all of those memories when you died too. But I remember everything we've done. Including the mission I always hated. When I first woke up after the Tower's collapse, I didn't know what to think. I thought you weren't ever coming back... And then what would I have done?"

"2B, don't worry about any of that! You'll never have to do it again!"

"I was ordered to kill you during the start of our Full-Scale Assault against the machines. Part of me is scared that this is all a dream and I'm going to wake up and I'll be back in the Bunker and the Captain will be waiting to punish me for failing my mission."

"The captain?"

"Leader of our small group of units. There were only 10 of us including her."

9S remembered accessing the main server after being captured by Adam. How he figured out the truth because he saw some noise in the Bunker's Server that was abnormal and began to investigate.

"But I'm really hoping it's not a dream. I'm certain that if this were, we wouldn't have fought Emil. 6O and 21O would be here too. And maybe even the twins."

"Then why are you still scared?"

"I don't know. Maybe this… maybe this is my punishment that I've somehow twisted into a fantasy I'll never have."

"Mind games, eh? Command wouldn't do that. That's more of a Red Girl thing to do. Come on, we're almost there."


	14. Chapter 14: Emil's Memories

9S opened the door behind 2B and walked inside. At first, they only saw an empty room with another door at the end.

"Weird."

"Wait, 9S! Who's the Red Girl?"

"Some machine network unit hellbent on destroying humanity until they decided to send the machine's data out on that Ark instead."

"Hmm. Interesting."

"Let's check that door over there."

9S went up to the other door and opened it. Light flooded into the small space.

"Hey, I think I found it!"

"Yeah."

Flowers covered the ground around them. A series of small holes filtered sunlight from high up above them onto the grass below. At the other end of the room stood a shack filled with crates and topped with a familiar face.

"How much you wanna bet that thing talks to us the minute we approach it?" 2B wondered.

"I don't like making bets. Last time I did, Devola dared me to eat that mackerel Jackass gave us."

2B started giggling a bit before breaking out in hysterical laughter. "How much did she give you?"

"20,000G. And free repairs after MY BODY WAS NEARLY COMPLETELY DESTROYED BY THAT DAMN FISH!"

"I thought it was common knowledge that mackerel is poisonous to androids."

"I've had my memory deleted several times, 2B! Things go missing between resets!"

"Fair enough."

2B went closer up to the head at the other end of the room. "Emil?"

The head didn't respond. 2B concluded that it must've been a fake.

"You would've won anyways. Besides, it's not like you had anything to lose besides a few G."

"Yeah, yeah."

9S looked around the crates for any information he could find about Emil. After moving a few boxes, he found a computer that housed millions of files.

"2B, you might want to take a look at this."

"It's _all_ of Emil's memories. Every single clone's memories is stored in this database."

"We definitely don't have time to look at all of the information on here. Pod, how much is all of this data worth?"

"Calculating…"

After 5 minutes of calculations, the pod still wasn't done calculating all of the data stored in the computer.

"How much data can this thing hold?" 9S exclaimed. "How did Emil even create all of this?"

"He seems like a smart creature. Or possibly magic."

"Negative," 042 replied. "It was created in the year 5,057 with bits of human and alien technology. It has a storage capacity of over 512 zettabytes of data."

"That's an insane amount of data. I don't even thing YoRHa had the power to carry all of that."

"Affirmative. YoRHa had the storage capacity of 512 terabytes per YoRHa unit."

"Sounds like a lot for the amount of data we all racked up."

"Calculation complete. The currently used storage space on this computer is approximately .04 zettabytes of data. Insufficient storage capacity inside this pod to store all of said files."

"Cram it, will you? Let's see here…"

9S started scrolling the endless list of all of the Emils who had memories stored inside the computer. "This is so confusing. Pod, calculate the amount of space needed for the original Emil's memories, and any containing memories involving any currently surviving YoRHa members."

"Affirmative."

2B crossed her arms and leaned up against the cave wall. "You really need to start being nicer to your pod, Nines. She does a lot for you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"One affirmation will suffice."

"2B, I will punch you in the face." 9S's angry eyes stared back at the white haired woman.

"Go ahead and try. I'd be a little more worried about you breaking your fist than my comment."

"Fine."

"You're kinda cute when you're angry." 2B started walking towards her partner. Before long, she was face to face with the slightly shorter android.

"You would've loved to be around me a few weeks ago. I was _adorable_ then."

"Oh, really?" 2B tackled 9S and pinned him to the ground.

"Query: Are units 9S and 2B in any injury from that fall?" 042 questioned.

"We're fine, pod," 2B responded before kissing 9S.

"2B, you're being very unprofessional for a YoRHa unit."

"So what if I am? You seem to be enjoying it."

_Are these… 2B's real feelings?_ 9S wondered.

"I mean, who would propose to someone he's known for a little over 6 months?"

"But what about you, 2B? You've known me for three years and you've always tried to keep your distance from me."

"Would you want to form a relationship with someone you knew you were going to kill multiple times?"

"Probably not."

"Then shut up."

"Make me."

"Fine." 2B laid another kiss on 9S's lips. "Better?"

"Yes."

_Come on, 9S! You can tell her the truth, can't you?_

"I… I…"

_You dumbass! You proposed to her and yet you can't even say three words to her?_

"You okay there, Nines?"

"2B, I…" _You can do this. It's just speaking. She's not gonna get mad at you for the truth, right? _"I love you."

"I love you too, Nines."

As they kissed again, Pod 153 flew over to them, having completed her task.

"Data transfer complete. Proposal: Unit 9S should state his intentions."

"Go fuck yourself, pod."

The two androids continued their display of affection until the light from above faded away.

As they sat on the ground outside their inscrutable friend's house, Pod 042 began to devise a plan. Most pods were incapable of higher level intelligence, but he had gained it through his desire to protect 2B, 9S, and A2, even if he was reluctant to admit that last one.

He had a duty to these 3 units. And right now, their lives were in danger. He would protect them, no matter the situation.

* * *

Eventually, the two of them left the caverns and began to head back to the surface. Along the way, they had found an elevator leading to the upper level of the caves. 2B finally understood how Emil came down here.

"Say, 2B? I want to analyze this data we found. I'm not quite sure if this will be enough for Emil to regain all of his memories, but it'll be a good start."

"You're sounding like 21O there."

9S didn't want to think about his former operator. How could she have become a B unit and leave him alone during the most important mission of YoRHa's existence? Maybe she had predicted the outcome of the battle. She was pretty smart. But she was still captured by the machines and attacked him.

"I don't try to."

"Like mother, like son."

"How'd you know about that?" 9S's eyes widened. 21O had expressed feelings of wanting to have a family, but...

"It's really embarrassing."

"No, go ahead. You already know too much about me."

"We would cry in her room together after I killed you."

"Oof."

"The simple way to put it, I guess."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You had no control over that."

"Yes, I did. I'm the one who looked at that confidential data."

"You were curious. I don't blame you for my orders. And I'm the one who broke YoRHa's number one rule."

9S couldn't think of a response. He still blamed himself for the sadness he caused.

"Nines, it's okay. Really."

"Thanks, 2B." 9S pulled 2B into a tight embrace as they exited the elevator back up to the surface.

"Don't you remember? Emotions are prohibited," 2B joked.

"Shut up."

"Fine. I'll work on some of the planning while you analyze that data."

"Sounds good."

As they headed back to the Resistance Camp, the two androids looked down to see the start of an enormous structure.

"Hey guys!" 4S called.

"4S! What's up?" 9S began traversing over the cold rubble to towards his friend.

Colliding fists, the two began a short discussion about the current status of 4S's project.

"How much longer is this thing gonna take?"

"Well, the main structure is coming along quite well. I think before the end of October we could begin decorating the inside. You and 2B planning on moving in?"

"Maybe. What do you think, 2B?"

"Whatever."

"Are you sure she's okay?"

"Yeah. Just has a lot on her mind. She's typically a woman of very few words."

"Well, Number 2 models are like that."

"There's… only her. There's only ever been 2B. There hasn't ever been another Number 2 model."

"Weird."

"I'm glad your work is coming along well! I've gotta analyze some data for a friend, so I'll see you later."

"Cool. Make sure to stop by sometime before Christmas!"

"You know I'll be done long before then!"

9S and 2B continued into the camp. They retreated to their room and began their work.

"Alright. Black and white for YoRHa?"

"Hell no!"

"Okay, okay."

"I'm joking! It's your dress. Do what you want."

"And you can do whatever you want with your outfit."

"At least someone respects my work!"

"I always appreciate what you do, Nines."

"Thank you."

2B got up from her catalog of dresses to watch what 9S was doing. She ran her gloved hands through his white hair.

"How's your work going?"

"Good. I've found some data about Emil fighting alongside a silver-haired woman named Kainé. She reminds me of a much more vulgar A2."

"I can imagine that. That's a pretty color."

"What? The blue?"

"Yeah. Pod-"

"Affirmative."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"I used my predictive skills to formulate a reaction."

"You're really smart, 042. Thank you."

"Gratitude confirmed."

2B gave 9S a peck on the cheek before returning to her work. Every so often, she would consult the other android about a choice, but the room stayed mostly silent.

As the sun started setting on the camp, a strange noise that could almost be called music started playing over the loudspeakers.

"When did we get these installed?" 2B asked.

"I have no idea. Must've always been here. They connect to the jukebox outside. 4S must be playing some music. I'll tell him to stop."

"If you want to keep working, I'll do it."

"He knows me better. Besides, this isn't that important."

"Alright."

2B laid down on her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling above her. "Pod, what do you do when I'm resting?"

"I do research on current mission objectives. When Unit 2B has none, I tend to analyze androids to know their composition in case I'm ever asked to repair anything."

"That's nice." 2B patted the small box on the head.

"Report: Pleasant."

"Good night, pod. See you in the morning."

"Good night, 2B."


	15. Chapter 15: Snow in Summer

9S looked around, and saw nothing more than a figure with silver hair standing at the jukebox.

"Is this what you call music? Damn, you Tokyo YoRHa are a disgrace."

"Who are you?" 9S asked.

"You don't remember me, Nines? What a shame."

"If you've known me at all, you should know I've had my memory wiped more times than you've been to the surface!"

"Ouch. Where's 2B? Didn't you promise that you never wanted her to be alone? Oh wait, that's not her name."

9S drew his golden katana. "Don't say another word."

"2E always seemed like the strongest out of us 8. E-types have a tough job, but she managed to have the hardest and still stay strong. Unlike 9E. I believe the two of you met."

9S swung his sword at the silver-haired woman. "Don't you dare tell me what I know!"

His swing was countered by a swift spear attack. "You should know better than to go up against an E-type. As I was saying… 2E had to kill the person she loved the most over and over. And yet she never lost her cold demeanor. Never once failed her mission. Until now."

"YoRHa's gone! She doesn't follow anyone's orders now!"

"Stop trying to fight me! God, you Scanners are so fucking useless! You know nothing about the truth." The silver-haired woman walked towards the exit after turning off the jukebox. "Tell 2E that Number 7 says hi."

As cold drops began to fall on the sleeping camp, the last flash of silver hair disappeared. 9S turned back towards the room him and 2B had been staying in for the past few months. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of her. She knew who 2B was, or at least pretended to. Maybe she knew about everything. The killing, the pain, the e-drugs. Everything that 2B only really shared with him.

_No! She doesn't know anything about 2B! She refuses to move on. 2B's not that person anymore!_

He kept debating whether he should wake 2B up. Maybe she would know what to do. Of course, he didn't want to bother her. They both had restless nights the night before. Though they really weren't trying to sleep.

_Yeah, 2B sure didn't want to sleep when she was making out with you, did she?_

Until she woke up, 9S returned to his work on analyzing the data he'd found. Emil had sure led and interesting life.

Through his research, he'd discovered that Emil and his sister were used in experimental weapons creation. While his sister turned into the ultimate weapon with near unmatched magical power, she went out of control. Eventually, Emil gained his sister's power…

And the strange skeletal body she was left with as a result of the experiments.

People hated him at first. Other people didn't like what they couldn't understand. But he found companionship with a young woman and… her daughter? Younger sister? 9S couldn't tell. She didn't look anything like Kainé. In his mind, she looked more like Emil. She talked about her lost brother a lot.

But watching their story reminded him a lot of the times he spent with 2B.

Before long, 2B woke up and saw 9S still analyzing his data. She walked over to the other side of the room silently.

"Have you been awake all night?" 9S nearly jumped when 2B asked her question.

"Gah! 2B, don't scare me like that!"

"This isn't really like you. Is everything okay?"

"Not really."

2B sat down next to her partner. "If you want to tell me, go ahead."

"It wasn't 4S playing that horrible music last night. One of your former squad mates showed up. And I'm not entirely sure that she was real."

153 spoke up, "Negative. The android Unit 9S encountered last night was indeed real."

"Pod, you're not helping!"

"Former… squad mate? Which one?"

"She didn't really tell me her official designation, but I'm guessing it was 7E. She referred to herself as Number 7."

2B felt a weight in her chest sink. She remembered the days after the 8 of them were first created. They weren't quite sure what their assignment was, so they just called each other by their numbers. Soon, the Commander revealed a woman named Captain Red who was to serve as their commanding officer. She trained them, and served under the designation of 1E. They each received fake designations to hide behind. Their official ones weren't supposed to be known by the other androids. Only the Commander and a select number of YoRHa tied into their missions would know.

6O probably knew the most about 2B and what she did. 6O only tried to keep such a light and hopeful demeanor to keep 2B from spiraling into madness. She was mostly successful until the previous winter.

"7E. Alive?"

"Yeah. Hard to believe. I don't like her much. She kept calling you by your official designation. I tried to fight her, but she didn't seem like she wanted to kill me."

"Surprising, given that she's an Executioner."

"You don't want to kill me! ...Right?"

"Of course not. 7E was just… prone to violence. If she was given the opportunity to kill someone, she'd probably take it. I don't think we're safe apart. It might be best if we stick together for a while."

"Good idea. Maybe we should try and… I don't know. Lay low for a while? Help 4S with his project? Stay in the city?"

"Sounds good. Let's find 4S and see what he needs help with."

As they exited the building, they found that the camp around them was covered in a blanket of white.

"Is this rubble from the Tower?" 9S leaned down and poked it. His finger made an indentation in the soft powder. "Nope, don't think so."

"It's snow, Nines! The last time we saw this…"

2B's heart was flooded with happy memories of the winter before. Memories that ended with one of the saddest in her collection.

"A rare smile that quickly faded. Doesn't seem like it was all that great."

"You got me a present for Christmas, but while searching for ideas, you'd stumbled upon the forbidden data once more. Command didn't realize it until a few months later. Nearly January, actually."

"Nice. They caught me pretty quickly last time. But the Commander didn't seem worried."

"She must've left the duties to Captain Red."

"Who's that?"

"Leader of the Executioner forces. There was her, and 8 other E-types. Captain Red gave us orders. When we had to kill 8B, 22B, and 64B, she was the one that sent me my actual mission. 6O just tried to cover it up as best as she could."

"She did okay. I wouldn't have let me come along on the mission."

"Me neither. That was honestly too risky. And then you helped 9E, and…"

"I'd figured it out by then. Not that your mission was to kill me. That I only realized after our fight with Eve."

"That early, huh? Nice work."

"You did not want to kill me. I could tell."

2B didn't often try to be emotional, but when she did… If YoRHa was still around, she'd need to go in for extreme emotional reprogramming.

"I never did. Maybe the first time a little, but even that was because I thought it would be the only time."

"So, you say this is snow? What do we do with it?"

While 9S had his back turned, 2B formed a small ball out of the snow and threw it towards the unsuspecting android.

"2B!"

"We fight!"

"You're going down, 2B!"

"You're making a mistake going up against an Executioner type like me."

"That doesn't mean I still can't win somehow!"

_Like he almost did that once, when 7E observed your skills in the Sand temple_.

"Just wait and see, Nines!"

2B began to launch another throw at 9S. Before long, their clothes were sopping wet with melted snow. The rest of the androids were soon woken up by the mad laughter coming from outside.

As the midday sun began shining overhead, melting the delicate flakes around them, 2B decided it was time for a final strike.

She set up a decoy piece of black fabric on one of her pods as she attempted to sneak as silently as possible to the tent where 9S was hiding. Her plan soon failed, as she slipped on a small patch of snow and took an unsuspecting android with her.

"2B!" 9S yelled. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm a little more worried about you."

"No problems here."

"Good."

2B gently kissed 9S's forehead before helping him off the ground and heading back inside.


	16. Chapter 16: Staying Afloat

The next day, 9S and 2B took a walk to the Flooded City. The Access Point had recently gone offline, but they didn't mind. Some exercise was needed once in a while.

"Say, 2B?"

"What is it, Nines?"

"The rapids in this pipe remind me of some records that I saw once. If we clear out the piles of scrap metal, we can turn this place into a water slide!"

"A water slide? What's that?"

"Report: A water slide was part of an entertainment center humans used to visit called a "water park". Such facilities were comprised of chemically treated water in pools with playgrounds and sports equipment safe for use in the water," 042 replied.

"Couldn't humans drown? Besides, androids take damage from falling into deep water because we aren't very buoyant. Wouldn't it just cause our systems to malfunction?"

"It could, but why not try to have some fun?"

2B raised an eyebrow, but brushed it off.

"Besides, we could learn more about humans by imitating them! Isn't that what machines always did?"

"And us androids. I heard that 6O and a few other operators gave the Commander brown ribbons for a holiday called "Valentine's Day" a few weeks before our mission to the Abandoned Factory. Alright, I'm in."

2B went to the pile of junk closer to the coastal side of the sewer. She found a place to pile it near the exit where it wouldn't get in anyone's way.

"Look at this, 2B!"

2B walked back over to 9S, who was holding a piece of metal big enough for 2 people to sit on.

"We can use this to slide down once we're done!"

"Yeah, looks like it could work. Something a little more buoyant might be better, but we'd have to go somewhere else for that. Ready?"

"Of course!"

They ran up the pipeline, towards the City Ruins. Before long, they were gliding down the water flow, giggling the entire way.

The sharp smell of sea water and burning metal wafted around in the ocean mist as the two androids exited the pipe, soaking wet.

"That was fun, actually! We should do it again sometime!"

"We probably won't be able to do it again for while, winter's coming."

"Yeah, the snows from yesterday kind of gave that away. So, what are we doing here?"

"Remember back in September, after our fight with Emil, how you said you wanted to ride around the City Ruins on a scooter?"

"Of course I do. What about it?"

"That's the reason we're going to the Flooded City today! Pod and I have been locating various parts and most of them are there."

"Good work."

"Problem is, you'll have to fish some tires out of the sea while I assemble the main frame. We'll need 2."

"Right. Make sure to make it big enough for both of us to ride."

"Of course! I wouldn't want you to have all the fun and leave me behind!"

"I wouldn't either."

2B gave her partner a peck on the cheek before setting up for fishing on a bent piece of metal that was hanging out to sea. She had to climb over the ruins of the Resource Recovery Unit, which had fallen to pieces since the Tower's collapse. 9S dug through the ruins, using the twins' scanner to find the parts he needed.

The one thing he couldn't seem to find was an engine to run the scooter. Emil's ran off of his magic, but 2B and 9S couldn't use it.

"Pod, do you have any ideas for what I could use as an engine for this?"

"Proposal: Check the remains of the vehicles in the area."

"Good thinking. We'll also need fuel…"

"Proposal: Calm down."

"I am calm! I'm just trying to figure out what I need for this…"

9S walked over to a nearby car to inspect the engine. His pod followed, monitoring his mental state. Meanwhile, 2B's progress at fishing wasn't going as quickly as she liked.

"Pod, have you been searching specifically for tires?"

"Negative. A request for a specific search hasn't been made."

2B clenched her fist in anger before giving a new command, "Fine. When fishing, try to look for tires we can use for the scooter."

"Affirmative."

042 dived back into the water. It soon found what 2B was looking for. While 9S was examining the engine, looking for any damage, 2B approached with a damp tire in each arm.

"Does this look good?"

"Yeah! Do you think you could attach them to the axles and bolt them in place?"

"Of course. How's the engine going?"

"Report: No damage detected." Pod 153's lights turned off with the end of its scan.

"Good. Now, we just need to find some fuel."

"Why don't we modify the engine so that it runs on a machine core?"

9S's eyes lit up. "2B! YOU'RE A GENIUS!"

9S sprinted over to the corpses of a few machines on the other side of the ruins, his pod helping him glide over the water, and onto the rooftops of sunken buildings. He picked up a core, completely undamaged. With a few wires from the other corpses, he was able to make a scooter with as efficient of a battery as their own Black Boxes.

"Ready to take it for a spin?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," 2B sighed as she climbed aboard. She turned it on, and slowly began learning the ropes of travelling by scooter. Soon, she was able to ride the entire roadway of the Flooded City without falling off.

"Looks like you're a natural! Must be your Type-B structure. 4S once told me that B models have such fine tuned circuitry that they can stop a knife less than a millimeter from their enemy with no training."

2B drew her sword. "Want to bet?"

In the flash of an eye, the tip of 2B's sword stood almost as close to 9S's face as he backed away in fear.

"Don't scare me like that, 2B!"

"Sorry, Nines. I just wanted to prove you wrong. It's 2 millimeters."

"Well, 4S didn't always have the most accurate of information. He once told me that there were over 7,000 species of fish in the streams of the City Ruins alone."

"Maybe he was thinking of a different city."

"Maybe."

"Care to join me, Nines? You've been sitting there, looking bored for a while."

"Why not? What harm could it do?"

9S climbed on the back of the scooter, wrapping his arms around 2B as she did another circuit of the Flooded City. As she approached the Access Point, she forgot to turn and slammed right into one of the barriers the Resistance had built to keep out machines.

"Well, nobody's perfect. I'll tell Anemone while you find a safe place to keep it."

"I'll meet you back here when I'm done, Nines."

"Roger that, 2B."

The two kissed before 2B drove off towards the City Ruins, riding around to her heart's content.

Her first idea to store her new ride was in the Commercial Facility, but the bridge probably wouldn't hold up under its weight. Besides, the bridge was too narrow.

The next place she went was Pascal's Village, which she was surprised to see in complete ruin. She made a mental note to ask A2 about it later.

Seeing as no one was there, it couldn't have been a horrible place to keep it. She set it next to the gate, safe and sound. She wandered closer to the wreckage to inspect.

Usually, she wasn't the curious one. But seeing Pascal's Village deserted was more than enough to get her to investigate.

All around the tree, machine parts laid. Some of the marks on the corpses were from machines, others from an android's sword. Perhaps the machines went mad and attacked each other, causing Pascal to ask one of his android friends for help.

In a pile of leaves in the playground, she found two familiar bodies. Two machines who called themselves sisters, holding each other. Their bows were completely spotless. More items that 2B was going to add to the graveyard of wishing flowers.

She continued through, looking for any sign of what happened to Pascal. All she found was an old philosophy book and a letter that was addressed to her. She picked it up with a gentle hand, opening it without damaging the envelope.

* * *

_Dear 2B, _

_It's been a long time since I've seen you. I was hoping to give this to 9S when I next see him, but I'll bring it to A2 if she ever decides to stop by again. I fear the end is near for both of our kinds. It's a strange premonition I have, but I can't shake the feeling. I've had it since you protected me in the Abandoned Factory. If I have the chance, I'll discuss the matter with A2, but I'd like to speak to you if possible. You were at the Factory with me, so maybe you've been feeling the same. _

_Your dear friend,_

_Pascal_

* * *

2B's lips curled into a slight frown as she pocketed the letter. Another thing she would bring up to A2. She just had to wait for her to return from the desert.


	17. Chapter 17: Temple of Drifting Sands

A2 was lost in the desert now, having ventured too deep into the thick dust storm. She couldn't see far enough to know which way was the right way to go. She cursed herself again for not having a pod.

She traveled day in and day out until the dust storm began to subside. She found herself in a border area between the desert and some plains, a large temple standing in the east.

"Finally. Someone thought of a place to rest."

A2 entered the temple and collapsed from exhaustion. She drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only caring about the break she got from her adventure.

She awoke a few hours later, but was completely unsure if she was in the same room she had entered into. It was small, and the door was locked.

"Hey! Let me out!"

A2 banged on the door for a while, even attempted break it open by activating B-mode. But it was all in vain. Most of her basic system functionality had been shut down.

"What do you want with me?"

After a few hours, a familiar face walked into the room. The wavy red hair, the black leather uniform with the red YoRHa emblem… She had seen this woman many times.

"Number One? I thought-"

"Shut up."

"I just want to know what's going on!"

"You wandered into an old human temple that we've re-purposed as our main base."

"What do you mean "our"?"

"A2, do you really want to know?"

"One, I just-"

"Don't call me that anymore. I'm Captain Red."

"Captain Red? What kind of bullshit name is that?"

"Mine. Now, shut up and listen to me. My death during the descent mission was faked. Commander wanted me to serve a greater purpose, and she knew sending me into that server was going to get me killed. So my flight unit was sent empty. I was to serve as the leader for a new class of androids."

"There aren't any newer than YoRHa. You're lying!"

"I'm not, A2. I said class, not generation. You've met one of my students. Killed her quite a few times too."

"2B…"

"That's right. You knew about her official designation. She was the first of 9 units created for her purpose. She was the best out of all of us at our job. All of my students looked up to her and her work. She was calm, rarely showed emotion, and did her job excellently. Every time. But then she received orders she couldn't follow anymore. During that full-scale assault, YoRHa crumbled into dust, leaving only a few of us left."

"How many? I know about the 4 of us back in Tokyo, but-"

"There's me, and two of my students as well. Well, besides for 2E. She's abandoned us. But we have a plan."

A short girl with silver hair walked in. She carried something in her arms. "Yes, captain?"

"Show us what you found."

The girl knelt before her captain, showing a card and a sword. "I managed to steal a pass into the room beneath the Commercial Facility, and I found this down there. There were other items, seemingly mourning rituals for dead comrades. A large assortment of flowers, a data chip about a pair of the twins, and a mask with a strange face engraved on it."

"Well, this will do. A2, I'm giving you another chance. I can take you in and raise you as one of my students if you'd like."

"5E and I are happy here. But we'd love another sister to look up to. You're perfect to become an Executioner like us!"

"I would never! I know what you do. You kill your friends and don't care! 2B is nothing like you! You don't know a damn thing about her."

"Fine. Pod 001, contact Pod 042."

"Affirmative."

"We'll see how 2E reacts to your imprisonment."

* * *

2B sat next to 9S on her bed. 9S had many movies saved on his pod for future use and decided that now was the perfect time to watch them. Even if they were old, they were important in understanding humanity.

"That was a good one. Are you sure you just want to do this, 2B? Why not go fishing or ride around the city? There's so much more to see out there."

"I'm worried. We haven't seen A2 in weeks. I hope she's not…"

"I'm worried too. We can't contact her. She'll turn up eventually."

"She always does, I guess."

Pod 042 was interrupted from his research by a call from another pod. "Incoming transmission from Captain Red."

"Pod, run a diagnostics check on your servers after this call. She's dead."

"Negative. Black Box signal for a unit known as "Captain Red" located 56 kilometers southwest of our current location."

"How? Never mind. Pod, ready to receive the transmission."

The pod's projection screen showed the familiar pale face and red hair of her former captain. "Good to see you, 2E."

"Likewise, Captain. May I ask you a question before we begin?"

"Of course. Anything for my top student."

"How are you alive? I thought YoRHa fell."

"Well, I was stationed in our old headquarters along with two of your classmates. Guess we were far enough away and didn't get infected."

_They're lying._ 9S thought. _They have to be. The virus spread through the network. They either disconnected or…_

9S stopped his thoughts to continue listening in.

"We found someone wandering around the desert yesterday. She stole a few things from you and we want to return them to you."

"I don't believe you."

"See for yourself."

Red turned the camera towards 7E who held 2B's belongings in her hands. A2 was sitting next to her.

"She stole your sword, 2E. Don't you want it back? Oh, and you might want this back too!" 7E held up a card with Emil's face on it.

"The elevator key!"

_Okay, now I know they're up to something._

"That's right." The camera panned back to Captain Red. "We'll give you the access code for our Access Point. Hurry, or we'll be forced to kill this traitor. And you already know what we're capable of."

The transmission disconnected. 2B crossed her arms. "They're lying. It's kind of their strong suit."

"I don't doubt it for a moment. A2 wouldn't steal from you unless her life depended on it."

"I know exactly what they want to do. They want to lure me there and force me to complete my mission."

"And you have no intention of doing that."

"None in the slightest. We need to talk to 4S quick. I have a plan."

"Alright. Let's find him fast."

4S was wandering inside the empty structure, beginning to string lights in the newly built rooms. His pod was helping him place the lights without a ladder. "Finally, you're being useful."

"4S!" 9S shouted from downstairs.

"I'm coming," 4S called back.

4S was worried about his friend. There were many Scanner models, but they seemed to have a close connection. Maybe it was the times they ran into each other, even after 9S had his memory reset. It was quite common for them to share unit data with each other.

"Is everything okay, Nines?"

"Not really. 2B?"

"A2 got kidnapped after wandering too far into the desert. Apparently, some E-types are still left."

"E-types? What are those?"

"Rather not get into it. I need you and 9S to stick together. We've already informed Anemone of the situation and the Resistance Troops are defending this building. Don't leave. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

"What are you going to do, 2B?" 4S asked.

"I'm going to save her. Alone. These are units that you two would have almost no chance of winning against unless they weren't smart enough to install hacking barriers inside their personal data. And ever since that's how I killed 9S the first time, it's been standard procedure."

"You're talking about this like you know a thing or two. You're 2B, not 2E! I'm so confused."

"That's where you're wrong," 9S frowned. "I'll explain it all after she leaves."

2B hugged 9S and gave him another kiss before leaving. "If I don't come back within 3 days, contact Emil for help."

"What if you die, 2B?"

2B didn't want to even think about the possibility. She held back tears as she pulled 9S into a tight embrace. "I don't know. I'll try my best not to."

"That's a promise, right?"

"Of course. I'll miss you."

The two let go before too much time had passed. She wept too. "I love you, Nines."

As 2B climbed into the Access Point, 9S couldn't stop himself from breaking down, knowing that exchange could be their last.


	18. Chapter 18: Sound of the End

The Access Point code led her to an old temple in the desert. She'd been here before. She'd lived here before.

"Home sweet home, I guess."

2B shoved open the wooden door, her trio of pods following behind her.

"Proposal: Unit 2B should retreat. Probability of supported unit's termination extremely high."

"Well, if I do die, send this message to 9S."

2B whispered a message to her pod as 7E walked into the room. "Wait outside, I don't trust this."

"Sis! Good to see you!"

"Number 7."

"Aw, something the matter? Had to leave your pet Scanner behind?"

"He's not my pet."

"Right, I forgot. He secretly wants to fuck you."

"That's not true either! I recommend you shut up before things start getting dirty."

"Well, they already have by the things I've seen."

2B drew a large sword with a beast emblem engraved on it. "I said shut up!"

7E drew her standard issue katana in response. Soon, the two were clashing, ready to kill the other if they had to. But their battle was soon drawn to a close.

"This is no time to be fighting!" An android with dark hair shouted.

"Sorry, Number 5." 7E sheathed her sword before turning away. If 2B wasn't mistaken, her new hairstyle seemed to mimic one she'd seen recently… but she couldn't quite place the name.

"Captain Red wants all of us in her office to negotiate. I don't care about anything else right now. You two need to get your act together for the Captain. She's waited too long for this and you two can't ruin it."

2B put her sword away in response. "Understood. Sorry, ma'am."

"Number 2, you don't need to be formal with me. I'm just glad to see you're in one piece after the fall of YoRHa."

"Well, it wasn't exactly easy."

"I can't even imagine what you've been through. Can I…"

"No."

"Right. Sorry. Emotions are prohibited. We all need to work on that rule."

"Agreed."

7E called from down the hall, "Hurry up! The Captain's waiting!"

2B and 5E continued into the office. "It's seemed so empty without everyone here. I've missed you."

"Thought you'd miss Number 6 more. And that Scanner you were partnered with."

"I miss everyone. Number 7's just grown more violent since her ship was destroyed during the descent mission. I think she's still a little guilty."

"Maybe."

5E held open the door to the office. "After you."

2B walked in to see A2 bound to a chair and her captain staring out the window. The midday sun reflected off of her leather uniform, and the red YoRHa emblem burned itself back into 2B's memory.

"Good to see you again, 2E."

2B clenched her teeth when she heard her former designation. All of the pain that came with it was coming back, and she didn't want it to. She sighed, hiding the pain before responding, "Captain."

"Here's your stuff." Captain Red placed the Virtuous Contract and Emil's key on the desk in front of her.

"A2 didn't steal these."

"Really? Then why did she have them?"

"I don't think she did, ma'am."

"Whatever. I have a few things to tell you. Please, have a seat."

2B crossed her arms and took her belongings off of her desk before sitting down. "What is it?"

She couldn't let herself go back to the times she spent here. She had an obligation. 9S needed her. She wasn't about to abandon him. She'd never abandon him.

"As you know, we dedicated our time here to observing the Bunker's server and notifying Command if there was any unauthenticated access. Before the attack, we noticed someone familiar snooping around where he wasn't supposed to. But not 10 minutes later, we found a non-YoRHa signal accessing our data. Turns out, 9S let the machines into our sever!"

"He would never!" 2B stood up and slammed her hands on the desk. "He wouldn't… not on purpose…"

"I don't care. He destroyed everyone. Commander, your comrades, 6O… I'm surprised you're forgiving him so easily. Remember, emotions are prohibited."

"I don't follow YoRHa's rules anymore!"

Captain Red drew her sword and pointed it at 2B. "Careful what you say, 2E. As long as I'm alive, you still follow my rules."

"Yes, ma'am," 2B reluctantly replied. Both women sat back in their seats before their conflict escalated further.

"I want you to kill him."

"No!"

"He's too dangerous!"

"I won't!"

"Fine. Girls, put both of them into custody. Someone needs to rediscover who she's meant to be."

A2 finally spoke up, "You're making a mistake! 9S didn't do anything wrong, he was just trying to protect 2B!"

Everyone turned to look at A2. "What did you just say?" Captain Red said.

"Let her go. And don't make her kill 9S again."

"I thought you'd changed, A2. Go. I don't want to talk to you now."

7E hit A2 with a large club before approaching 2B. Soon, her consciousness was fading to black.

* * *

2B's eyes shot open as she laid on a stone floor. As 2B tried to lift herself up, tears began rolling down her face. She thought of 9S, alone and scared, being killed by one of her former peers that he didn't recognize. She wanted him to be beside her, not miles apart.

"2B, you shouldn't have come after me."

"Are you kidding? They would've killed all 3 of us if I hadn't. But now, they probably still will. I had to take a chance, but I ruined it."

"Don't blame yourself."

"Either I kill Nines and live with that guilt for the rest of my life, or I die and he gets killed by someone he doesn't know."

"Or we do option number 3."

"What's that?"

"We wipe this place off the map. They didn't deactivate any of your systems. We might have a chance."

"What do you mean?"

"When I showed up here, they deactivated most of my basic functionality as a combat android. I can't even go into berserk mode."

"Okay, I'll try."

_Alright, here we go. Light attack, Beastlord._

2B swung her sword quickly, and the chair next to her was destroyed. "Guess I still can do a few things."

"See what I mean?"

"Alright. They probably have a large amount of surveillance systems here, so we can't really do much in terms of planning. Give me one moment."

2B set down her sword, which soon turned into particles and was stored back in her weapons database. She took out a small device from inside her shirt and activated it.

"Pod, can you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Unit 2B. Current location data confirmed."

"We need some help down here. Get here as quickly as possible."

"Affirmative."

A2 chuckled a little at the voice of her once familiar friend. "I miss that guy a little."

"I shouldn't have let you come out here alone."

"Well, I did get lost in the Forest Kingdom."

"And got captured by a bunch of crazy YoRHa units."

"And now we probably have until tomorrow before they decide to kill us, so we have to work fast."

"Well, as we both know, death isn't the worst thing in the world."

"Abandoning my best friend is the worst thing in the world to me."

"You and 9S aren't just friends, are you?"

"Alright, maybe there's a little something more there."

"I doubt it. I've seen you two a few times. You both want to protect each other as best as you can."

"He…"

"What?"

"He proposed to me."

"What? You're… you're having a wedding?"

"Yes. And if we survive this, I'd like you to come."

"Maybe I should officiate it."

"Oh, that'd be a day to remember."

"Anything for the android that I see like a little sister."

2B smiled a little before she noticed the sound of a small drill breaking down the window above them. "Good evening, 2B. Good evening, A2."

"Thanks pod. Now, I need you to scan for any recording devices in the room."

"Scanning… Scanning…

2B's chest tightened as she watched the pod scan. What if Captain Red planned for this? What if she was using this as a trap?"

"No recording devices found in the entirety of this building."

"Alright, scan for black box signals."

A2 and 2B both let out a sigh of relief. Even though they were near the desert, a cool wind still blew through the barred windows, chilling them. Their anxiety grew worse, but 2B was ready to fight to protect anyone she could. Even her fellow units. Anyone except for the people she held close.

Maybe Command was right for emotions to be prohibited. None of the other androids

cared. They all wanted to be human anyways. To be like the people they were modeled after. Even 2B wanted that dream. But she was, in a way, immortal. Would life eventually become nothing more but a chore she didn't want to do anymore? She didn't want to think about it. She decided, deep in her heart, that she only wanted to live if 9S was there too.

A constant light making her life complete.

"No black box signals detected on this floor. However, there are 3 black box signals on the floor above us."

"Alright. What's the plan, 2B?"

"We figure out how to reactivate your systems and we perform a sneak attack of sorts. They won't see it coming."

"We want to kill all 3 of them?"

"No, we just want to get rid of 7E and Captain Red. 5E is not much of a threat without orders. As long as we can keep her out of this, we'll be fine. Pod, can you repair A2?"

"Affirmative. Process will take approximately 2 hours. Preparing to hack."

"Just don't go into my memory data, okay?"

"Affirmative."

"Good luck."

2B sat up against the wall. All 3 of the pods needed to hack A2 for the process to go quickly and smoothly. She was alone once more.

"I hope you're staying safe, Nines. I'll be back soon."

Far away, 9S looked up at the stars from the window of 4S's project. "Sweet dreams, 2B. I hope you're still alive."


	19. Chapter 19: Deep Crimson Foe

2B had thought about resting, but decided against it. She needed to be prepared for any situation. That included her captors deciding on an early execution.

But that didn't stop her from letting her mind wander. As soon as she got out, she was hoping to fulfill all of the promises she made to 9S. Buying t-shirts, watching movies, living happily without war. All she needed to do was dispose of 3 more of her fellow YoRHa. How hard could it be?

But then she thought of every time she had to kill 9S. Even though it was just another YoRHa unit, he was still alive in a sense. He had thoughts and emotions, hopes and dreams. Didn't everyone have those too? Even Captain Red?

2B knew her wishes. She wanted 9S dead. She wanted revenge. She wanted her squad back. But none of that could happen. 2B wouldn't let it.

"Repairs complete. YoRHa Unit A2, activate!" The pod soon said.

"Morning. Let's see here…"

A2 soon summoned a sword from her database. She enjoyed her electrified Type-4O blade. She swung it around a few times to test that her field control system was working.

"Ready. What's the next step?"

"Pod, search for an easy way to attack 7E and Captain Red."

"Affirmative. Scanning…"

A2 smirked before putting her sword away. "I know I haven't done this in a while, but since we're fighting alongside each other." A2 placed her left hand over her chest. "Glory to mankind."

"We both know they're dead."

"Well, just for shits and giggles, I guess."

2B saluted her friend back. "Glory to mankind."

"Scan complete. Follow me, please."

"Here we go," 2B said as she drew her sword.

Following the pod's dim light, the two androids sneaked through the old temple nearly silently. It was a slow journey, but soon they made it to Captain Red's office once more.

2B prepared to kick open the door dramatically, but A2 held her back. "Wait, 2B! I hear something…"

The two put their ears against the door and listened closely to the other androids inside the room.

2B heard the familiar voice of Captain Red. SHe always sounded so sure of herself, like she'd never once doubted her plans. "2E's dangerous if we keep her alive, but she's very necessary to our goal. Project YoRHa has to be deleted, but with a few dozen YoRHa scattered around, we'll need all the help we can get."

_The end of Project YoRHa? How?_ 2B thought as she continued listening.

"What do you want us to do?"

"We could erase all of her memories before training here. When she wakes up, just tell her that everyone else was killed in an attack."

"Good idea, Number 7. What about the other one?"

"Just kill her at this point. She's not worth anything."

"You don't know her as well as I do, Number 5. A2 is pretty fierce in battle. She won't go down without a fight."

"That's why we deactivated her systems! Captain, are your memory circuits working properly?"

"Right, sorry. I forget that you two are smart as well. We have to be, especially if we're going to finish our mission."

_She's not even using her pod_. 2B thought. _Her loss_.

The whispers were barely audible through the empty hall. "Come on, A2. We've gotta move."

"Okay."

A2 caught a glimpse of a photo hanging on the wall before heading into the Captain's quarters. It was her squad. The ones who served on the Pearl Harbor Descent Mission.

All she had were her memories. She was jealous of this so-called "Captain Red" for having that picture. She didn't even go on the mission. She didn't care about any of them.

A2 tried to keep her anger under control as she followed 2B. She would make Number One pay.

"Okay, this should be good. Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

2B quietly opened the door handle and began sneaking through the room. 5E had just left, and 7E was talking with Captain Red in a corner, looking out of the window.

7E asked, "It's sad, isn't it? Losing so much of our team?"

"It can be, but we're soldiers. We're used to losing people."

"I guess."

2B slowly drew her sword before stabbing 7E through the chair. As she pulled the sword out, the silver-haired android's limp body fell to the ground as a pool of blood grew beneath her wounds and began spilling onto the stone floor.

"Captain, help me…"

_I'm scared… I'm not ready to…_ 7E's thought processes began to break down.

Captain Red lifted the silver-haired android. "7E! Come on, don't die on me!"

"Captain, is that you? Do you see them too?"

"Number Seven! Please! I can't lose another one."

2B watched as her stoic and reserved captain cried for her fallen soldier.

"Everyone else is here. But where's 5E? She'd want to see them all too… 9E… 6…"

7E's words faded away. Captain Red set her down before using the knife on her desk to cut her hair short. "2E! What have you done?" She screamed with rage in her voice.

"What I had to. I refuse to kill any one of my friends. As long as I'm alive, I'll work my hardest to make sure that we stay together."

"And yet you didn't bring 9S to us like we thought you would."

"Protecting him is my priority. I know you, Captain. The minute he arrived, you would've ordered me to kill him, and when I refused, you would've done it yourself."

"Seems like you've picked up some predictive skills since your last time here. You're too smart for your own good."

"Number One, we're giving you one chance. You can leave now and spare us, or you can face us in a battle to the death."

Captain Red started laughing. "You think I'm giving up on my revenge? 9S doomed all of our fellow units. I will not rest until he's dead!"

The red-haired android drew a long spear. Its red jewel reflected the torch light of the temple, illuminating the surrounding area in a crimson glow.

"It's me or you, 2E. May the best Executioner win."

2B drew out a second sword and lunged at her opponent. 2B knew she could win against her. But first she had another opponent to take care of.

The perfectly black pod booted up and began firing laser-like pellets at A2 and 2B. 2B slid back, dodging Red's attack before launching her small sword at the small box. It perfectly slashed its left gun, disabling it for the time being.

Before she knew it, one of her pods shot a missile into the other one, permanently disabling its ranged weaponry. 2B remembered that the 001 pod was only 1 unit, not a set of 3 like 042. As Captain, Red wasn't expected to get into much fighting. It was only used for communication without the need for an Operator.

"Damn you!" Red yelled as she dodged A2's electrified sword. But she was grazed by a bolt of electricity, making her body shake.

"I thought you would know the weaponry your units used, Number One."

"Stop calling me that, A2!"

As the shocking stopped, Red turned and kicked A2 square in the chest, sending her flying across the room. 042 fired a powerful laser at the android, knocking her to the ground.

"A2, you okay?" 2B turned to her friend and extended a hand out to her.

"Fine. Just a little bit of damage. Nothing I can't handle." A2 looked over at her former captain, noticing that she was about to attack. She shoved 2B out of the way, narrowly dodging the spear herself.

Chips containing information about each YoRHa unit flew through the air as the spear hit the boxes stacked neatly on the desk. They scattered around the floor, making the Captain lose her footing. Before 2B could lay another hit on her, the scarlet-haired android used her spear to lift herself off the ground and spin around it, kicking 2B's sword far away from her.

Before she new it, the captain was standing over her, preparing to stab her Black Box directly. 2B rolled away before standing up and running to her sword.

A2 staggered upwards from the previous attack, realizing how bad the damage was to her system. SHe wasn't bleeding, but something had definitely gotten knocked out of place. The Captain was now standing next to her. She quickly countered an attack from her former leader before getting locked into a heated duel.

Captain Red began laughing madly. 2B recognized the sound of the laughter. Her blindfold had fallen off, revealing crimson-red eyes.

_Is this a logic virus or the side effect of overusing Jackass's drugs? Either way, it's going to make her unstoppable if we don't do something soon._

2B quickly attacked back, knocking the infected android away from her friend, and slashing open part of her abdomen. She fell to the ground limp. 2B wrongly assumed she was dead. "Well, that was an easy mission…"

"Please tell me you're joking."

2B glared at A2. "Obviously. You think getting rid of my former Captain and one of my comrades was easy?"

"Not in the slightest. Before we go, there's something I want to do…"

As the androids left the room, Captain Red stumbled upwards, grabbing her silver spear as she headed for the door. Small drops of blood fell as she walked, leaving a trail behind her as she headed out into the sandstorm. She tied her jacket tightly over the wound, keeping the sand out and the rest of the blood in.

She would kill 9S herself, even if it was the last thing she ever did.


	20. Chapter 20: Mourning

A2 took the photo of her squad off the wall, clutching it tightly in her arms. As the two androids began to head back towards the Access Point to do some repairs, a black figure stood in front of them. "So, you killed them? 7E and the Captain?"

"Yep." 2B sighed, knowing that she was a hypocrite in her own mind. She promised never to kill 9S again, but was she breaking her promise if she had killed her own units?

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to go back to that life either."

"Thanks."

"That's not very like you, 2E."

"Can you stop calling me that? I don't like it."

"Okay. Is 2B better?"

"Yes."

"Well, you can call me 5B then. If we're the only ones left, who cares if we still use those designations?"

"Not me."

"We've both lost too many friends. I don't want to fight you. I'm refusing to follow the Captain's orders."

"What were they?"

"Erase your memories, or kill you if you attempted anything. I don't want you to forget your friends. Some cultures believed that your memory completely disappeared when there was no one left on Earth that remembered you. Our comrades don't deserve that."

"Whatever you believe. We're heading back to meet up with 9S. Maybe…"

"What is it, 2B?"

"Maybe we can lay out something for our comrades too."

"I think that's an excellent idea," A2 added. "I think these guys deserve a place down there too." She stretched out her arm, checking to make sure that the pods hadn't missed any spots from the cuts she'd received.

"Alright. Let's go."

2B entered the code for the Resistance Camp's Access Point into the one outside of their headquarters.

"It feels a bit strange leaving this behind. I haven't left since my mission with my squadron was suspended."

"I bet you miss them too."

"Yes. Especially 17S."

"Well, maybe you'll see him again someday. Our scanners can only detect so far."

"Yeah." 5B smirked at the sky as she remembered her times with him.

The Access Point opened, and soon 2B was back at the Resistance Camp. It was starting to be cleared out now. 2B figured 4S had finished a lot of work when she was gone.

5B soon followed. She looked around at the unfamiliar landscape, trying to take all of it in.

"Come on, let's find Nines. Oh, A2?"

"I was going to go to the Amusement Park to finish off the stragglers."

"I have a few things I wanted to ask you about. Would you be willing to hold off your mission for a few hours?"

"Why not?"

A2 and 2B went ahead. 5B continued to look around as she halfheartedly followed. The sight overwhelmed her a little as she remembered the day she came here with her former partner.

"Wow, the fall leaves make this look… amazing…"

The city was draped in scarlet and gold. Gentle breezes filled with the salty wind from the ocean carried the crisp leaves onto the crumbling concrete below.

"Yeah. We actually had some snowfall a few weeks ago. Only a small amount, but it stuck together. Nines and I had a little bit of a snowball fight before it all melted away."

"That's nice. You two… seem to like each other a lot."

"Yeah."

2B headed straight for the nearly finished construction project. 4S was watching from above and waved to the two androids below.

"Hey, that's a new face!" He called down.

"This is 5B! Where's Nines?"

A familiar glint of white hair peaked out from the top of the wooden structure. 9S waved to the android below before grabbing a rope on the side of the building and sliding down to meet her. They met in a tight hug. They held each other tightly, just barely loose enough for them to breathe.

"I'm glad you're safe," 9S said. He looked up at 2B's face.

"Me too."

"We're gonna be okay. We still have each other, don't we?"

"About that…"

9S let go.

"Captain Red… still wanted me to terminate you. Of course I'm not going to. But she's gone missing. My pod said that her black box signal was still online, but he can't track her position anymore."

"Well, we have some time, don't we? Let's go back to the Lunar Tear garden. I think I could use some time to relax too."

4S soon came down with his pod flying behind him. "You guys going somewhere?"

"Yeah. We have this place of honor for our friends set up in the basement of an old Commercial Facility," 2B explained. "We're putting the swords of my former comrades down there."

"And I'm adding the picture of my squad from the Pearl Harbor Mission!"

"Can I come?" 4S asked.

"Of course."

The four of them began heading out into the City Ruins and across the fallen leaves. If the City Ruins looked this amazing, 4S wondered how his old home in the Forest Kingdom looked. The castle probably looked as dull as ever, but the rivers probably had thousands of leaves covering them.

2B pressed Emil's key to the pad next to the elevator. It opened, and the five androids piled inside. She tightly held 9S's hand to keep herself from crying. 5B and A2 both reached for 2B's shoulder, smiling at each other when they realized what they had done.

2B walked up to the post that 9S had left as an honor for her death months ago. Small sprouts of new flowers began to work their way up the wooden post. She set the two bows at its base as 5B began to open her database to all of the specialized katanas the members of her squad carried.

A violet one for Number Three.

An emerald one for Number Four.

A cobalt one for Number Six.

A silver one for Number Seven.

A tangerine one for Number Eight.

She didn't have Number Nine's golden blade, but she was determined to find it. 5B knew that Number Nine had given it up when she went to the Resistance to work as their E-type. Maybe it was out there somewhere.

"To everyone who we've fought alongside, thank you. And good night."

2B stood beside her, putting a hand on her soldier. "They're finally free of the pain that we've been through."

"Yeah."

5B and 4S turned back to return up to the surface. "We're heading out. I still have work to do!" 4S waved as him and 5B boarded the elevator. The two disappeared behind the closing doors.

"Alright, what's up?" A2 sat next to 2B on the bed in the hut.

"I saw Pascal's Village. What happened?"

"Oh… I barely know the cause of it, but some of the machines started to go crazy and attacked each other. Pascal escaped with the children, and contacted me for help. I dispatched all of the machines I could. Then, I went to help Pascal and the children at the Abandoned Factory, and we were attacked. Pascal and I were able to win, but we were the only survivors. Pascal asked me to delete his memories, and I did. But he must've been taken out by other machines, because when I stopped in there on my way to the Forest Kingdom, he was gone."

"I saw him before I went to the Tower. It was like he was only a shell."

"Maybe he left? There's still a bit of hope for him."

"Good thing one of us is hopeful."

"Not really. Captain Red's still out there too. Also, there was a letter left to me in the village."

"Can I read it?" 9S asked.

"Sure."

2B handed the letter, as 9S repeated it out loud for A2 to hear.

"Maybe that's why Pascal took the children to the Factory. He's almost as curious as 9S here." A2 ruffled his hair, but he gave her a dirty look. "Sorry."

A2 backed off, heading towards some nearby rocks.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about this now. Pascal won't even remember writing it if he's still alive."

"Right. Nines, can I tell you something?"

"Of course. You've listened to me ramble too much."

"I'm scared. I don't think I've been this scared since Adam kidnapped you. What if… what-"

"Stop thinking about the "what ifs", 2B." A2 joined the other YoRHa on the bench. "Think about right now. Yeah, we've lost a lot of people lately. But that doesn't mean we can't let that fear make us do crazy things. Fear destroyed Pascal's village. Do you want to end up like all of those machines?"

"Of course not."

"The only way I'm letting you die is if we die together." 9S hugged 2B tightly once more. "I've abandoned you enough times to let that happen again."

"Do you think that this is my punishment for everything?"

"Caring about me isn't a sin, 2B. Otherwise I'd be in more trouble than you."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

It took 9S a moment to understand. "We're soldiers. We should take pride in our service. We kinda succeeded, didn't we?" 9S pulled out a package from his bag. "I know I said I wanted to go shopping _with_ you, but I made this for you."

2B opened up the package to see a t-shirt inside. "I love it. Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. It's getting a bit more chilly, so I don't think you can wear it yet. Maybe we should find some winter clothes."

"Alright."

"Yes, this cloak is failing, especially after that night in the Barren Temple!"

5B and 4S exited the elevator again, panting and bruised.

"We've spotted Captain Red. She's in the desert."

"Stay here, you guys. I'll look out for her."

"A2, you can't! Not alone!" 2B grabbed her wrist before she could leave.

"I like how you care about me, but this is a job for me and me alone. Besides, I've been on my own for long enough."


	21. Chapter 21: Jackass' Research

_Author's Note: I had a random idea at 1AM one night and rolled with it. I hope I can fix the story from here!_

Red was staining Number One's vision as she reached the end of the desert. She knew what she had to do, all because of the memories she'd seen.

"I'm looking for a woman named Jackass." She pinned the Resistance Member against the cliff walls, preparing to draw one of her weapons.

"She's gone on a mission! I don't know where she is!" The Resistance Member attempted to struggle his way out of his captor's grasp, but he couldn't seem to beat her raw strength.

"Then give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now."

The sun was then blocked by a shadow casted from the cliffs above. "Take your hands off of him, YoRHa." Jackass lightly tossed a grenade in her hand as she jumped down from her vantage point and walked towards the rogue YoRHa. "So, you're the one they call Captain Red. I'm Jackass. Now, can you please get your hands off of my partner? He's the only one I've got left!"

Captain Red loosened her grip and crossed her arms as she glared at the new arrival. "I need you to do something for me."

"Is there going to be some sort of payment involved?"

"It depends on how well you do your work."

"I don't work for free, missy. I'm a solo act."

The Captain's eyes darted around for something to offer the sassy android. "Hmm... how about revenge on the person who caused the entire fall of YoRHa?"

"That idiot's probably dead somewhere in a wasteland. Why would I care?"

"Because he's not. Tell me, Jackass, have you met 9S?"

"HIM!? He's probably killed less than a hundred machines!"

"Your impression of him is completely wrong. I know the truth behind it all."

Jackass leaned in, and whispered, "Then tell me before I blow your sorry ass to bits."

* * *

2B shivered in the garden as she shot up from the pain of 9S's error in repairs.

"Sorry, ma'am!"

"You really have to stop doing that."

"Calling you "ma'am" or making mistakes?"

"Both." 2B rubbed her arm. There was no damage, just a slight glitch in the pain receptors.

"I'm just as nervous as you. This Captain Red is serious business."

"No kidding." 5B moved away from the wall and towards the hut. "If we're going to have any chance of beating her, we need to be in top shape. That also means you, 9S."

"I don't know what's wrong with me right now. I know I would never do this on purpose..."

2B's hand touched 9S's shoulder. "I know. We're all tense."

"I know what you need, bro! To get out of this dark cave!" 4S slammed a rock against the cave walls repeatedly. "It sucks down here!"

"Yes, but it's the only safe place for us. No transmissions can get in or out, and A2 is monitoring the Commercial Facility for any sign of Captain Red. We're taking every precaution. Everyone who knows about this situation is a threat to our survival. That's why all of us are down here." 5B set her hand on one of the swords.

"What if 4S is right? What if we just need to get out of here and get some fresh air?" 2B's shivers didn't stop.

"Before we discuss that, I must've done some damage to your nervous system. Give me just a moment..."

2B's hand was too quick. She caught 9S's hand before he could touch her circuitry again. "It's not your fault. As you said, we're all nervous. We do need to get out of here, though. Our batteries can't last forever in the dark."

"She's right. 5B, you need to set aside your fears for a few moments and let us try to go about our normal lives. We have 2 Scanners and 2 Battlers. Together, we'll make a great team! What else could we need?" 4S looked at his comrades.

"A Defender," 5B replied.

"A Healer." 2B rubbed her arm again, and the pain started to subside.

"An Operator," 9S sighed.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, this can't be all that impossible. You two managed to do plenty on your own! One crazed android isn't going to kill us!"

"Oh, but she will. Trust me, 4S. She was my captain, and 2B's. She's trying to pay for something, and we don't know what."

2B pressed the button to open the elevator. "4S is right! We've survived a lot. Besides, didn't 4S once tell you something about having no regrets, Nines?"

* * *

"Alright, Agave, you're my guinea pig again!"

"Seriously, Jackass? I thought you promised no more crazy experiments."

"Like I care what you think, jerk!" Jackass inserted a needle into his arm. "Now, press the button!"

Captain Red pressed one of several buttons on her remote that sent a signal to the nanomachine that Jackass had just inserted into her partner. "If this works, I'll owe you a lot."

"Explosives would be nice. Since the fall of YoRHa, I haven't had access to many of the crucial ingredients for one of my most powerful bombs..."

"Explosives? No problem. Have you ever used a black box bomb?"

"Nope! But it sounds cool."

Agave's piercing scream echoed off of the cliff walls as the nanomachine finally reached his central nervous system.

"Bingo." Captain Red pushed another button on her remote, and the android began doing whatever she willed it to. "Perfect. How long will it take you to make another?"

"Already done. A good scientist is always prepared with backups."

"Now it's time for payback. Stay here, I don't want any more unnecessary casualties."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Captain Red tossed the black boxes of android corpses she'd found in the desert to Jackass. "Just activate them and touch them together. You can destroy plenty with two of those boxes."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet."

* * *

As the elevator doors opened, 2B and 9S met with a familiar foe.

"Nines, go back to the garden. I'll deal with her."

"No! I'm not leaving you again!"

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine."

A2 swung down from the walls, throwing Captain Red away from 9S and 2B with a single attack. "Told you I could handle myself."

"Thanks, A2. Now, let's finish this!"

"Pod! Unit B is now under the control of Unit A2!"

"Understood. Commencing support of Unit A2." The white and orange box with a black box on its back flew towards A2.

"I missed you a bit, you dumb box."

A2 used the pod's attack to start firing lasers at the Captain, providing cover fire for her to attack fiercely.

"2E… you…" The silver spear nearly missed 2B's arm as Captain Red swung at her. "Stop it!"

"I'm not going to stop! Not when you're the only thing that stands between me and the dream you've so cruelly ripped from me dozens of times."

"Are you still crying because you had to kill him so much?"

"You gave me the order to kill him 47 times! I killed him 47 times for you! Was that blood not enough for you?"

"I thought you said it was 50!" 9S drew his sword and tried to attack, but was swung away.

"Yeah, twice we detonated our black boxes to destroy enemies, and then you asked me to kill you after Eve infected you!"

"Right, my bad."

2B quickly dodged another attack. She had a slight advantage over Red, but she didn't want to have to kill her. She had never wanted to kill anyone, but this was her duty. She was going to atone for what she'd done to 9S. And this would ensure that their future was secured. A future she'd prayed for often, and without success too many times.

She'd done the Captain's dirty work 47 times. Every time she'd met 9S, a sense of false hope was instilled within her. She'd always thought that one day 9S would stop. That 9S wouldn't suspect Command any more, and he'd get to continue going on missions with 2B. It wasn't a perfect world, but it was better than the life she'd led up until they were assigned here. A chance slipped through her fingers every time she took a sword to 9S. She wouldn't do it again. Especially since their happy ending was so close that she could almost grasp it.

A2 ran towards the broken escalators for distance. Once she reached the top, she sent out a volley of small explosives that began exploding around the red haired android in short succession.

"One, you have to stand down! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Of course I know what I'm doing, A2!"

Captain Red was now locked in a tight duel with 2B. The white sword clashed against the silver spear over and over until 2B's breath began to falter. That's when the Captain made her strike.

Like deja vu, the Captain jammed her needle into the same spot on 2B's arm where 9S's failed repairs had pierced her earlier. With the click of a button on her remote, 2B was soon screaming in pain.

"That's what you get for disobeying orders."

All of the color drained from 2B's eyes as her target locked onto 9S.


	22. Chapter 22: The Recluse

Immediately, 2B had leaped for 9S, just as Captain Red had commanded. With a giddy laugh and a hair flip, she had practically gotten away with doing almost nothing. Almost.

"2B, what are you doing?" 9S dodged her attacks, but he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight an E unit on his own. "A2! Got any ideas?"

"Maybe we should infect you with the logic virus again. You actually almost beat me that time."

"It's deactivated!"

"E-drugs?"

"Fat chance!"

2B's attacks were relentless. There were no ideas in his head to stop her except to block her attacks and keep his distance. Her pods weren't listening, knowing that this wasn't her order. A2 had taken control of the other 2 pods, keeping them safe until 2B could regain her sanity.

"2B, I know you're in there! Snap out of it!"

"You've accessed confidential data. This action is prohibited, so you must be destroyed."

"Destroy me, and you'll never forgive yourself!"

The words flowed out of him, even though he barely remembered saying them. He didn't want to fight her. But if he didn't, he was dead."

A2 began taking on the captain herself. "Wait, what if you hack her?"

"Which one?"

"Either!"

"Warning: Hacking the target may lead Unit 9S to become damaged. Proposal: Focus on melee combat."

"Cram it, pod."

Negative. This pod is here to provide support to Unit 9S. Therefore, this pod cannot allow Unit 9S to participate in actions that would put his life at risk."

"Cram it!"

He knew that the 2B he knew was still under those colorless eyes. This wasn't like her. She'd made a promise to him. And he didn't care about what he would find inside her complex memory circuits.

* * *

Upon hacking, 9S found himself deep in the memories of the infected android. Most of them were mundane. 2B training with her fellow E-units, analyzing killing techniques, fighting machines in the surrounding desert area. None of it useful to him. He didn't care about the past at this point. Well, maybe he cared about the past when he was involved. White corridors filled with images surrounded him. He wanted to see all of it, but restrained himself.

But then he came across something he'd always wondered about. Their first meeting. She came off... really kind actually. Maybe she had originally thought that if she'd put up a persona of being his friend, he'd never suspect her. Maybe that 2B was the real one. The one who hadn't been through the pain of killing him yet. The one who was still filled with the same sense of pride he was whenever he was rebooted. Soldiers meant to protect humanity, even if they were fighting for a lie.

_"Hello, ma'am! I'm 9S!"_

_"Hi, 9S. I'm 2-2B."_

_"So, what's our mission, ma'am?"_

_"Please, don't call me ma'am. It feels... weird. We're comrades. 2B's fine."_

_"Alright! 2B it is!"_

_"We need to talk to 1D over there, with the black pigtails. She's our leader."_

_"Thanks. I hope we get to work more in the future! I'm sick of working alone!"_

Little did he know, every mission of his would be with 2B. He rarely worked alone, which was odd for a Scanner. But in every memory he saw, they were together. He heard his own voice more than he did 2B's. Each life was different. All 51 of his different lives had known someone different in the beginning, when 2B was still learning, but as time when on, 2B had become affirmed in her cold personality that slowly opened up as they worked together more. The longer his life, the more uneasy and protective 2B became. That was, until the most recent life before Adam and Eve.

There was another memory further down. He saw himself lying on the ground of a temple, his life draining as blood dripped from his neck.

_"Because... I had fun. I'm sure my other selves would've agreed. Don't hesitate to kill me, okay? We'll meet again. Promise?"_

_"Promise."_

_9S then turned the sword towards his stomach, ending his life by destroying his black box._

9S was shocked by what he found. He must've underestimated his feelings for 2B. Making sure her mission wasn't compromised to save her? It sounded so like him, but…

And her choices… the picture of the hacking space covered in black thorns haunted his memory, even as he continued through. Watching the memories that had been taken from him time and time again, he began to realize something.

Every time he'd met 2B, he felt a connection hidden beneath her cold guise. He didn't know it then, but his words were similar every time.

_"Hello, ma'am! My name's 9S. I'm here to provide support."_

_"Alright, 2B it is!"_

_"Don't be so reckless next time, 2B. That was dangerous."_

_"I've got your back anytime."_

_"Scanners like me usually work alone. I don't usually get a partner! It's kinda fun!"_

_"Goodbye, 2B."_

With each hack, he uncovered another memory that he knew was precious to 2B. All of her memories of the times they spent together… Even though they fought countless machines, destroyed as many enemies as they could in order to save humanity, the only thing he cared about was being with 2B. In his memories, he'd always look at her with a bright smile. And he still did.

He wandered down long corridors, filled with memories that he wanted to look at, but didn't have the time.

And then he came upon the right memory that he was looking for. One that wasn't hers, but the Captain's. It was probably implanted by her needle. It was a virus itself, created to make the infected android feel the Captain's pain and do what she ordered.

_"Number Two, you can do this. I don't want to lose you too!"_

_9S watched as A2 hesitated to kill him through his pod's eyes._

_"No, Number Two!"_

_Her limp body tumbled to the ground, soon taking 9S along with it._

_"He's going to pay for this! He'll pay he'll pay he'll…"_

_The Captain's words were drowned out by tears. She took a vial from a drawer in her desk. "I'll make everyone pay for what they've done to YoRHa."_

9S finished off the last core in the Hacking Space and returned to reality. He realized why Captain Red was doing all of this. A secret resolve to kill the one who'd destroyed everything. She blamed him for the loss of her closest partner, even though she was one of the units fighting her.

_So, I wasn't wrong._

A quick flash of crimson appeared before his eyes. 9S's energy was taken from him in an instant, and he fell to the ground.

All he could hear was 2B's screams.

* * *

When the captain saw 2B's limp body from 9S's hacking, she'd retreated. 4S and 5B came minutes late to the fight, only to see 9S hacking his way through the android he loved.

"What's going on here?" 5B asked.

A2's sword disappeared in a flurry of particles as it returned to code. "The Captain attacked."

As 9S reawakened from hacking, he saw 2B's sword pointed extremely close to him. As she collapsed, the sword hit his body.

"2B, please wake up." 9S cradled her body in his arms, gently shaking her.

"9S! You're hurt!"

"I don't care! I want to make sure 2B's alright!"

"What if you weren't successful?"

"Then that's what I have to live with.

_What did he see in there?_ A2 wondered.

"Pod, help him."

His leather gloves brushed loose locks of hair away from her face. "I'm sorry for all that I did, just please don't go."

2B's eyes fluttered open. "Nines?"

But then her eyes widened quickly, realizing what she'd done. She picked up her sword before dashing away as fast as she could, tears streaming from her eyes as the pain built up inside of her, like a volcano about to explode.

153 and 042 began working as quickly as they could to repair 9S. His black box and his memory circuits hadn't been damaged, so all they needed to do was fix the wiring and circuitry.

5B tried to stop A2 from leaving. "A2... why are you going after her?"

"She's scared. She accidentally hurt the person she tried her best to protect! How would you feel if that had happened to you?"

5B remembered the group she worked with. 3B, 34B, 15H, 28D, 17S... They were her family... And she failed them, and hadn't been lucky enough to get her chance to atone.

"Alright. But, maybe you should wait."

"Why?"

"9S will want to help."


	23. Chapter 23: Lord of the Valley

The waves from a waterfall crashed below 2B. She overlooked the Forest Kingdom, trying to decide what she should do. To her, 9S was gone.

"Nines, I'm sorry..."

As 2B got closer to a resolution, the clanging of mechanical parts disrupted her thinking.

"It's been a while, but it's you, isn't it?"

2B turned to see a red and black machine standing next to her. "You..."

"Yep, me. I never thought I'd see you here again. But now, you're contemplating something dark. I can feel it." The machine sat down at the edge of the ravine, and 2B joined her.

"Why would you care? I'm an android, and you literally asked me to kill you once, even though all you did was pray that the souls of machines and androids who thought the same as me would reach heaven."

The machine laughed. "I prayed for those machines because I was one of them once. But that doesn't mean I liked it."

2B glared at the machine with curious eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I was faced with the terrible truth of this war. And I decided that I was done with it. But I survived, learned, repaired myself, and began helping rather than hurting people. Fighting is hard, but facing your opponents with mercy is harder."

"Easier said than done."

"Don't do it. Your friend wouldn't be happy with you, no matter if he's dead or alive."

2B frowned and held back the tears. "He's going to be upset either way."

"Well, I must go. Your friends at the Resistance have accepted me for my chip making skills! You androids are really nice now that the war's over."

"Safe travels."

"You too. Keep your hopes up. You're not as bad of a person as you think. I hope to see you again someday."

The words didn't reach 2B, though. She gazed endlessly into the rocky chasm below. If 9S was dead, it wouldn't matter if she disappeared from this world. Or maybe her consciousness data would return to the Ark. She hoped that wouldn't happen. She didn't want any possibility of coming back if she did die. But if 9S was alive, would he forgive her for her countless sins? He'd seen her memories completely. He probably knew everything.

But none of it mattered to her. She walked away from the ravine, and towards the Castle.

* * *

"9S, how are you feeling?" A2 examined the wound once again.

"I told you, I'm fine. 2B needs me, NOW." 9S pulled away, rolling his eyes.

"Are you sure? She did almost kill you."

"Not on purpose! She wouldn't do it unless someone was literally controlling her movements. She'd sacrifice her life for mine any day. It would probably ease her soul a bit. If you knew what she's been through because of me..." 9S shuddered with fear. What if 2B wasn't alive? What if Captain Red had killed her or worse? What if her body was at the bottom of the chasm outside the Commercial Facility? Or melting in the Abandoned Factory's furnaces?

"I do know what she's been through, roughly. Murdering the same person 50 times? No. Losing the only teammate she's ever known? Yes."

9S snapped out of his fear. "Right." He took a deep breath before deciding his path. "Where do we start? We can't stay here forever."

"Pod, can you locate 2B's black box signal?"

After a moment, 042 completed his scan. "Affirmative. Unit 2B is making her way through Pascal's Village and into the City Ruins."

A wave of relief washed over 9S. He smiled when he thought of her coming to meet them and explain herself. "Good, she's alive. I thought she'd be destroyed with grief after that."

"We have to hurry."

Just as they got up to leave, an announcement blared over the loudspeakers in 4S's complex. "Attention all androids! We have a hostile unit approaching the facility. Please be on guard, as we don't know what she intends. Last we saw of her, she attacked 9S. Keep your distance, and stay inside. We will now be deploying self-defense protocols for your protection."

9S began bolting for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"If we don't hurry, we'll be trapped inside. Don't worry, I know a way out that's much faster than the front doors, and much less conspicuous."

9S's idea turned out to be swinging out of the window on pods. Him and A2 snuck alongside the building, out of sight of the cameras and out of range of the guns. As they approached the door, they saw 2B, shaking as 4S began focusing fire on her.

"Stop this, 4S!"

"She tried to kill you!"

"I didn't want to!"

"Bullshit! I saw you cut him open!"

"Maybe you shouldn't attack things without getting the full story!"

"Finally, you learn something!"

The screaming continued for a few minutes until A2 interjected. She pointed a sword at both 9S and 2B to separate them. "Alright! We get it! 4S is worried about 9S, 9S is worried about 2B, and 2B's having a mental breakdown because her former captain took control of her body and she hurt 9S. To the pesky scanner who everyone keeps saying I should go out with, go fuck yourself and try to keep the casualties at 0 for today, unless you're planning on taking Captain Red on single-handedly! As for you two, don't let this destroy your entire relationship. Every stupid fairy tale I've read says that love conquers hate."

A2 flipped off the cameras as she walked away and headed for the Flooded City to give 2B and 9S the space they deserved. Together, they walked back towards the Commercial Facility.

At first the walk was silent, but 2B watched 9S in order to try and figure out his current state. "Nines, you're okay." 2B smiled and kept her distance as 9S glared at her.

"No, I'm not! You scared me! You collapsed after I hacked you, and tore me open, and when you woke up, you abandoned me! What about our promises?"

"I didn't mean to scare you... I was just upset."

"I know you didn't, but that doesn't mean I'm not still upset! You've let all of your emotions bottle up inside of you until you break down." 9S reached for 2B's hand. "Don't let your fear of being caught in that spiral again make you distance yourself from me. We're a team, right?"

"I don't know anymore! I let myself get distracted, and I hurt you! I don't want to distance myself from you, I just... I didn't want to live with those mistakes. I wanted it to be over with. I was afraid of having to live in a world without you. It's hell. If you die, those are the sins I bear for the rest of my life. I broke our promises, and I don't deserve your forgiveness." 2B held out her sword with the handle facing 9S. "So please, save yourself more pain. Maybe this is redemption."

9S reluctantly took the sword. "You've already died for me once, 2B. I won't let you do it again." The sword clattered to the stairs leading to Emil's elevator. "You may not think you deserve my forgiveness, but you at least deserve to be happy. We need to defeat Captain Red. She's only doing this because she's mad that I killed A2. She's the only thing that stands in our way. We're not immortal or anything. Someday we'll break down and return to the earth. But our existences, they aren't meaningless. We are who we are. But please, don't let your emotions push you off of a cliff."

"Alright. I won't." 9S dropped the sword and pulled 2B into a tight embrace. "Thank you."

"You should be thanking yourself. Pod?"

_"9S... the time that we spent together... was like memories of pure light. Thank you, Nines._"

"I'm still thanking you in that clip, Nines." 2B pecked him on the cheek.

"What an amazing display of affection. Honestly, 2E, you're the most worthless Executioner that I've met. I ordered you to kill him two weeks ago, and here he is, still breathing. Do you ever follow orders?"

"And you're the worst captain I've met! I'll follow your orders when my sanity is no longer at stake!"

2B reached down to grab her sword as 9S drew his own. "Together."

"Together."

"How cute, you have a little catchphrase and everything. Now, enough chit chat... time to end this!" The captain threw her spear, and it landed right where 9S was standing.


	24. Chapter 24: Karma

"Nines!"

Captain Red was laughing so hard that she couldn't even speak. 2B paid no mind to her and leapt into the smoke from another Pod Program attack. But that wasn't where this smoke originated from. Soon, a familiar face rose from the smoke, wedging themselves perfectly between Captain Red and 9S.

"Emil?" 2B realized.

"Get 9S out of here, 2B!" Emil cried, drawing an old weapon. "I'll take care of this one."

A2 swung in. "I'll back you up, Round Guy!"

2B nodded before running towards 9S. Before Emil had appeared, the spear had grazed his skin.

"Pod, get me staunching gel. We need to repair 9S before I lose him."

"Affirmative."

She picked up his limp body and held it close as she began repairing the damaged tissue with the gel. It mixed with the drops of blood that were beginning to leak out and covered the wound. As she finished, she held him in her arms, waiting for him to wake up.

"Please be okay. I can't do this without you. I'm not ready to go on alone. Not when we were this close."

9S's eyes fluttered open, seeing the woman he loved staring down at him. "2B? Did we win?"

"Not yet. I'm getting you home first."

"No, we have to go back. Red…"

"We'll be fine. We got some reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?"

"Emil. Any idea why?"

Pod 153 piped up, "This pod requested assistance after 9S began hacking into the enemy unit. Out of fear for the safety of this pod's supported unit, I contacted the lifeform known as Emil and provided him with location data."

"Thanks, pod." 9S reached out at lightly patted the black and red box.

"Report: Satisfied."

2B sat down next to the nearby Access Point to take a quick rest. She was strong, but 9S was heavy and she was tired from battle.

"2B, I can get myself back to safety."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

"Don't do this to yourself. For my sake, at least?"

"I'll be fine. I've fought hard my entire life in hopes that I could spend these precious moments with you."

"I get it, you're worried about me. But I've been fine on my own before. Sure, sometimes I become so focused on my task that I forget to perform maintenance. But I can get back to the Resistance Camp just fine."

2B gave him a short hug before heading back into battle. "I want you to stay here. Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Before you go, I found something in Red's memories."

"What was it?"

"Captain Red synthesized her own e-drugs. She made them more powerful than Jackass'. I don't think there's a way to save her."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry."

2B sighed. "Stay safe."

"You know it."

2B headed back towards the bridge. Before she crossed, she waved back to 9S. "I love you, Nines."

"I love you too." 9S smiled and leaned up against the Access Point as he watched her disappear back into the Commercial Facility.

2B drew her sword, preparing to face her Captain once more.

Emil quickly glanced at the android in black. "2B? That was fast!" Almost as fast as teleportation magic!"

"Forget about that. Situation report."

"What does that mean?

"What's going on?"

"I think she's almost at the end of her abilities." A purple blast of magic hit the red-haired android square in the chest, before A2 swung at her again.

"She's been hit with a variation of a powerful virus that an android known as Jackass accidentally created. We're not going to be able to destroy her so easily."

2B drew her sword, and swung at the android, who gripped the blade tightly, pulling it from her hands. Blood dripped from the torn gloves, covering the surrounding plant life.

"Sh*t!"

"You're the idiot who grabbed the blade of a sword!" 2B chided as she went after her sword to continue the fight.

And it continued for sometime. Captain Red used the last of her energy to fend off a final attack from Emil, before collapsing to the ground. At this point, the only thing keeping her going was her slowly weakening Black Box.

"2B! I think we got her!"

A2 stood up and walked over to her captain. She placed a hand on her face before shoving her sword through her enemy's chest. Her eyes faded from red to blue as the virus escaped her body through the leaking red fluid.

"I just wanted 9S to feel the pain I did…"

"I'm here now, and you've ruined that by messing with things you didn't know the power of. I'll see you again, someday."

2B set the dying android on the ground. "Goodbye, Captain."

"Goodbye, 2E. Goodbye, A2..."

Blood continued draining out of the android as her consciousness completely faded away. A smile rested on the android's face.

"Well, I'd better go. See you around!" Emil called out before disappearing in another puff of purple smoke.

"I'm going too, but I'm going to keep the dumb box you gave me."

"Yeah, I don't want you to get separated again. Keep in touch."

"I will. And I'll be back in time for the wedding."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I'm going to officiate it. It might turn out horribly, but I'll do my best."

"I couldn't ask for anything else."

A2 and 2B hugged as one of the pods flew over to reunite with A2.

"Where will you go?"

"First, the Amusement Park. I want to do a survey there. But afterwards, I'm heading to the desert. I've heard rumors of a group of machines that managed to build a coliseum. I need to get stronger. Captain Red nearly killed us. What if we're attacked by an enemy stronger than her?"

"I'm not sure you need to get stronger."

"Well, at least stronger than you. You're the strongest person I know."

"Thanks. Don't get caught in the sand storms!"

A2 ran back into the City Ruins, her sights now properly set.

"Pod, search for active elevators in the desert."

"Scanning…"

A2 was ready to smash some machines, more revenge for the friends fate had taken from her.

9S stumbled back to the Commercial Facility to see 2B pick up the dead body of her former captain.

"So, guess we won."

"Yep."

"I'm sorry, 2B."

"It's not the worst I've had to do. I'm glad I'm not holding your body. Come on, let's give her a proper burial."

9S picked up the crimson blade Captain Red was using as her secondary weapon and examined it. It looked oddly familiar. Then he recognized the similar blade hanging from 2B's scabbard. In truth, all of the blades that the Executioners held looked similar. A colored katana with a specific design and an honorable name.

A bit of confusion filled his mind as he remembered that his sword, the Cruel Oath, looked like it belonged to the set as well.

"2B, why does my sword look like all of the Executioner's swords?"

"What do you mean?"

After shoving the crimson blade along the same line 5B had laid the rest, 9S drew his golden blade. "The Cruel Oath… I don't get why I have it if it matches this set."

"Oh, about that. 9E joined the Resistance as their designated contact. Disguised as 9H, she left her weapons behind to better blend in with the Resistance. She left them in my care, and when I met you… I'm not even sure what I did. I guess I thought "They have the same number, so why not give it to him"? I'm glad I gave it to you. You've used it well."

"I guess so. But I wasn't built for combat."

"Keep it. We all have our own battles to fight."

9S put his sword back before joining 2B in the elevator. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too. Now, what was your surprise?"

9S led 2B back up to the Commercial Facility. Next to the elevator, some rubble had been cleared away. She was too busy fighting to notice it earlier. 2B saw a door, which 9S ran forward to open.

"Since 4S has started housing the Resistance in his complex, I thought I'd make us a proper home."

9S and 2B headed inside. There was a bed, bigger than the one in the Resistance Camp, and a kitchen with a nice table.

"I thought that, since we're going to be getting married soon, we deserve a place of our own, near our favorite place."

"It's amazing. You did this, all while I was gone?"

"Yeah. I'd been planning for a while, but when 4S and I teamed up, it was a breeze."

2B started crying. The tears of joy started to turn into tears of guilt. "Nines, I…"

"Go ahead, I'm not mad."

"You've done so much for me. I feel bad. I was never the friend you deserved until a few weeks ago. I never called you Nines until the pods and I saved you. I never paid much attention to your rambling about the things of this world. I never repaid your kindness."

"You've helped me regain memories that I never knew I'd lost. And we'll make new ones together."

"Together… Until we stop working for good."

9S sat down on the bed, looking up at the sky. "Until our time runs out."


	25. Chapter 25: Weight of the World

Snow fell gently on the abandoned camp, burying the temporary structures in clouds of white. Only a small path led out from a small room in one of the buildings. 2B leaned on the door, watching the calm scenery around her.

"Report: It is time to get ready, 2B."

"Thanks, Pod."

2B returned inside to find the other two pods preparing her dress. She could feel a slight chill roll down from her neck to her spine as she looked at it.

"Proposal: Unit 2B should remain calm."

"What are you talking about pod? I am calm."

"Negative. You're shaking."

2B didn't deny it that time. She turned to her pod and patted its head. "Sorry, pod. Guess I am nervous. Wouldn't you be too?"

"Pods don't have as much emotional capability as androids, so no."

"I'm trying here, sorry."

"What are you nervous about, 2B?"

"I guess Nines and I might not be perfect for each other, maybe."

"Negative. 2B and 9S have plenty of what's called "Chemistry". I find that is a strange analogy. However, this analogy works when referring to the romantic relationship between these two android."

"Thanks pod." 2B looked at herself in the mirror in her white dress. "How do I look?"

"Stunning."

"Thank you again," 2B replied as she pat the white box once more.

The pods lifted the skirt of 2B's dress as she began to walk to the garden at the other end of the ruins. 2B saw 5B leaning against some of the ruins.

"5B! What are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you."

"What for?"

"4S told me to. He's a strange Scanner."

"Well, they're all interesting in their own way."

"Sounds like you, 2B. Your pods are sure being helpful."

"Affirmative. This support unit is tasked with supporting Unit 2B."

Both androids laughed before they begun to head towards the bridge that had been decorated with flowers for the special occasion.

* * *

"4S, what if I mess up? What if something goes wrong?"

"I doubt anything will go wrong. I'm here."

"You're not helping!"

"Sorry." The blue and black arm of 4S's pod reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. "What's up, 078?"

"Guests have arrived at the elevator. Please review their identification."

"Got it!"

4S turned to his computer to see a few of the Resistance Members at the door.

"Come on in, you guys! Nice to see you can make it!"

"You installed a security system in here?"

"Yeah! No machines or shady figures getting in here today. Without Pascal, it's pretty simple."

9S rolled his eyes and headed out of the hut. 4S and 5B had spent the past week setting up for this day. The work they did was amazing. With the radiant glow of the Lunar Tears on the ground and the re-purposed rubble from the Tower, the room had a pristine finish.

"Hey, dumbasses, let me in!"

4S's camera showed A2, dressed in a slightly odd outfit. Maybe it was her idea of "formal attire".

Soon, A2 was at the front of the makeshift church, inspecting a Lunar Tear. Slowly but surely, the rest of the guests filed in one by one. 9S peeked out from behind the curtain to see all of the androids from the Resistance Camp. Even Emil teleported back to Tokyo for the occasion.

"That's a lot of people."

"Yeah, a lot of these guys like you, Nines."

9S couldn't stop shaking as 4S began to set up the music. "You've got this, Nines. Don't be afraid. I think even 2B couldn't be mad if you messed up."

"You clearly don't know her all that well."

"She's a Number 2 Model. And a B type in name. All of them are pretty focused and are always pointing out your errors."

"Have you ever worked with a Number 2 model? Or a B type?"

"Nope. Just 38O, my operator. She was kinda similar in personality though."

"You'd think YoRHa R&D would try to pair you up with an operator that wasn't your complete opposite."

"Talking about 21O?"

"Yeah. And from what I've noticed, 2B and 6O as well."

"They do that for mission efficiency, dude. You and 6O would've been researching nature rather than deal with the machines like we were supposed to." 4S turned back towards his computer and started the music. "You're on."

"Alright. Here we go."

* * *

The elevator opened up as 2B headed into the Commercial Facility. 5B walked in first.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Wait, I have one more thing for you."

5B swung her backpack off and set it on the ground. She opened it up and began looking for something. As she dug, the gleam of white she was looking for evaded her sight. Then she remembered when she'd left it.

Unzipping the front pocket, the white light hit her eyes.

"9S made this for you."

"Oh, Nines. He's…" 2B was left speechless as 5B placed the crown of Lunar Tears on her white hair.

"He knows you well, doesn't he?"

"Yes. He knows me very well."

"Now go. Your happiness awaits."

"I'm surprised you actually care about that."

"Well, anything that cuts us from the pain of our past is worth fighting for. If he were still here, 17S and I might be in a similar place."

"I wish I could give you this same happy ending."

"No need. You've done enough for me already. Though I wish…"

"What?"

"I wish Number 7 hadn't turned on us too."

"Me too."

The doors opened with a mechanical click, and 2B turned towards the crowd. Anemone stood up and handed her a bouquet of Lunar Tears.

The two white-haired androids locked eyes and smiled. All they could see was each other, a silent promise echoing in their thoughts.

Taking one step forward, 2B breathed heavily, letting all worry aside.

She couldn't worry looking into those eyes.

As 2B approached, 9S reached out a hand to her. "You look… stunning."

"As do you."

"Shall we begin this stupid ceremony?" A2 asked.

"Proposal: Unit A2 should show some respect."

"SHUT THE HELL UP BEFORE I SMASH YOUR FACE IN, POD!"

"Yes, we're ready, A2."

"Alright. Losers and dumbasses of the Resistance, YoRHa, and my favorite Round Guy, we're gathered here today because these two decided that a revenge plot against me wasn't human behavior enough! So now we're doing a wedding or something… I can't believe you two dragged me into this."

"You're our best friend, A2! Well, besides each other."

"Oh, save it for the honeymoon! So, this book I stole from the ruins of Pascal's Village says that you two should've written vows?"

"Uhh, yes! Of course, just give me a moment!" 9S pulled out a paper from his pocket and cleared his throat.

"It's okay, Nines. You don't have to start if you're not ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

9S put the paper behind him as 2B began to speak. "A long time ago, I made you a promise. I told you that I'd be here as long as you needed me. That was during our first mission. We were fighting in an abandoned amusement park in western Asia. You asked if I would still care about you, even if you did something bad. I knew what my duty was. It was my job to carry out your punishment. But still I told you that. I promised that I'd listen to you and help you in any way I could. I made you many promises over the years. But today, I make them final."

2B searched deep in her memories for all of the people she'd met and made promises to over the years.

Her promise to 1D, to lead the team when she couldn't fight anymore.

Her promise to 4B, to stand by each other until the end.

Her promise to A2, that she wouldn't regret anything that she did from now on.

And every single promise she'd ever made to 9S.

"Until the end of time, I want to stand by your side and protect what we have. This world has cursed us for far too long. I want to live each day without regrets. And one of my deepest regrets is trying to distance myself from you to spare myself a heartbreak when I had to kill you again. You're such a fantastic person to be around. I'm sorry for all of the times I ignored you and ignored my emotions. Carrying the burden of my sins is like carrying the world on my shoulders. Now, I want to make up for that. I promise that I'll cherish every moment with you as it's the last time we'll see each other. Until the end of time."

Both 9S and 2B wiped tears from their eyes as 9S pulled his notes out once more.

"I'm not sure my writing could even come close to that. 2B, I've only known you for a few months. Or, at least this version of me has only known you for a few months. I know you've known me for so long and said goodbye to me so many times that it's broken you. What souls we might have are broken beyond repair. But the light we carry inside of them hasn't faded. I feel that light whenever I'm near you. I want to keep that light alive for as long as I can. Thank you, for everything."

"Alright, Round Guy! Do you have the rings?"

"Right!" Emil rose and walked towards the two androids. "A long time ago, my friend gave me one of these and I made another matching one. She'd be happy knowing they ended up in the hands of some of the most amazing people I've ever met."

Emil handed one of the rings to each android.

The two traded rings, and A2 rolled her eyes. "Okay, idiots. What the hell do we do next?"

"KISS HER, NINES!" 4S shouted.

"Wait, what?"

"Just do it!"

9S shrugged his shoulders and pulled 2B closer before they locked lips.

"Your speech was fine, Nines," 2B whispered in his ear.

"Hey, I remember this place!" Emil stated as he saw Kaine's hut out of the corner of his eyes. "This was… Kaine's home. I wonder…"

Emil looked on a small shelf and found a picture of a few familiar faces standing together.

"What is it, Emil?" 4S asked.

"This was us. Back before someone doomed humanity to extinction. Devola and Popola took this for us. The tall blonde one is Nier. He's pretty cool. But my memories of him are very fuzzy. The short girl standing next to him is his younger sister, Yonah. We were pen pals for a while. I'm the one over on the other side. I kinda look like part of the family, don't I? That book floating behind Nier is Grimoire Weiss. He didn't like it when we didn't use his full name. And the silver-haired woman is Kaine. She was like an older sister to me. I miss them all so much, but I've made a lot of new friends too!"

9S smiled. "Hey, maybe we should get the pods to take a picture of all of us together too! How does that sound, 2B?"

"Alright." 9S saw that she had changed back into her normal black dress.

The couple headed back upstairs to see that 4S had gathered everyone for the promised picture. Anemone, A2, Emil, 5B, Accord, 4S…

"I kinda overheard you guys, so I thought I'd gather everyone. Pod!"

"Affirmative," chimed 078 as they flew away to get everyone inside their camera.

"On 3, say "Friends Forever!"

"1… 2… 3!"

The smiles their friends made that day stamped 9S and 2B's hearts as they set the picture in the hut, right next to Emil's photo. A reminder of the times they shared, the good and the bad, for as long as they were alive to see it.


	26. Chapter 26: Flowers for Machines

"Are you ready, 2B?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

Spring was in full swing throughout the City Ruins. Flowers had begun blooming on the trees. The wind sent cascades of petals into the water below. The usual green scenery was coming back slowly, but surely.

9S wrapped one arm around 2B's chest as she drove her scooter throughout the City Ruins. In the other, he held an empty basket. 9S had come up with the plan to make flower chains for Pascal's Village. A few machines, searching for peaceful existence, had come looking for Pascal. A2 was trying her best to help them get settled in, but she was still a bit on edge about helping machines.

The pair went around to every place they could think to find flowers blooming this time of year. The courtyard by the factory was their first stop. The entire field was covered in blossoms that had seemed to just appear overnight. There were lilies, cherry blossoms, daffodils, and even lunar tears! It didn't take long for the basket to overflow.

"There are so many flowers here! Got any ideas?"

"Any ideas about what?"

"Why there are so many flowers! Jeez, Nines! I thought you were smarter than that."

"Right, my bad. I didn't know the City Ruins could look so beautiful this time of year."

"You're absolutely right.

"It's kind of strange. I guess the flowers represent the peace that's finally blossomed forth now that all the fighting's over! There weren't this many flowers last year."

2B patted 9S's head. "I guess so!"

9S kissed 2B's cheek before walking towards the village.

"What are you doing? The scooter is much faster!"

"I seem to be really off my game today."

"Everything alright?"

"I think so. Let's just head over to the village and get this over with. I think I might need dinner and a bath."

"And maybe a nap while we're at it!"

9S hopped on the back of the scooter. 2B drove the pair went away from the collapsed buildings and rusting machines and towards the makeshift gate that was still standing after all this time. _It's been one hell of a year, hasn't it?_ 2B thought to herself.

The village that had looked like a ghost town after it had been nearly destroyed was now bustling with activity. The new villagers were working hard on learning new trades and repairing the broken houses. A group of small stubby machines were gathered around A2, jumping up and down. "Play with us! Play with us!" They shouted, trying to get her attention.

"Quiet! I need to talk to the visitors!"

"Then will you play with us?"

"We'll see!"

A2 turned around and walked towards 2B and 9S in a huff. 2B could almost see the steam coming out of her ears. "Motherhood not suiting you, A2?"

"Hahaha, very funny. You two have no idea how stressful this is! How did Pascal ever do this?"

"I have no idea. He was just good at what he did." 2B shrugged.

"Oh, I found these for you guys. Pascal had a collection of philosophy books. I don't need 'em, so feel free to do what you'd like!"

"Thanks! I think this belongs with the rest of our collection, 2B!"

"I agree. So, how's the village coming along?"

"Well, the machines have been getting along for the most part. There's this one creepy-looking guy making swords in the house right underneath the slide with a kid that hid in his house while the village was attacked."

"That little recluse! I should go say hi! I want to see if he's gotten the courage to talk to people again."

9S handed 2B the basket of flowers and went upstairs.

"Come on, the pods have been teaching some of the kids how to weave the stems of flowers together for the chains. There's also some familiar faces."

As they climbed downstairs, a pod flew past, carrying one end of the chain in its arms. 5B was sitting amongst the machine children with 4S, making flower crowns for each other.

"Looks like we have another pair of lovebirds!" A2 teased.

5B set down her work and walked over to A2. "Says the android who has over a few dozen children!"

"Stop it, you two! We're here to celebrate! Look, 2B! I made lanterns! When the sun goes down, our pods will help light this place up like a christmas tree!"

"What's that?"

"Humans used to decorate spruce trees with lights and glass bulbs during the start of the winter season. During the night of December 24th, an old man wearing a red suit allegedly brought presents to children all over the world. But that's just a myth. Most of the time, parents bought the presents for their kids."

"Interesting. Maybe that's a tradition we should do this winter." 2B looked over at A2. "What do you think?"

"Depends on how stressed I get watching these little brats."

The androids laughed, and some of the machines joined in.

A small biped machine tapped 2B on the shoulder. 2B smiled at her. "What's up?"

"I was wondering... where do flowers come from?"

2B took a flower out of the basket before handing it to 5B. "They bloom from plants. In the spring, the air gets warmer and the flowers wake up from inside the plant. Their petals open up to attract bugs like bees and butterflies so that they can spread pollen for them and make more flowers."

"That's cool! Flowers are really pretty. Thank you for bringing them here for us, miss!"

"You're welcome!"

The machine skipped off with the flower 2B handed to her. 2B smiled as 9S slid down the ladder to meet up with the rest of the androids.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Just 2B being sappy towards a snot-nosed machine," 4S laughed.

"Ah, so the usual. It's so nice seeing this place alive!"

2B looked around a smiled at the rebirth that had begun all around them. It looked nothing like the ruins that had been there a few months ago.

"I guess we should go back out and get some more flowers. I don't think we'll be able to decorate with just these."

"Alright. See you guys later!"

2B took the basket and set Pascal's book inside of it. 9S grabbed 2B's hand as they walked out of the village together.

"You seem a lot more happy today. Did someone say something?"

"Yeah. You did." 2B grabbed 9S and pulled him close. "I hope that this peace lasts forever. This has been the best few weeks of my life."

"Mine too. Though, to be fair, I don't have as many memories of our time together as you do."

"We're working on it."

"Yeah."

After 5 trips to and from the City Ruins to find flowers, 4S decided that the flowers they had were enough. The last chain went up just before sunset. The 9 pods flew up and lit all of the lanterns once they measured that the sun was exactly halfway below the horizon. The machines cheered when they saw the Anemone had come with some of the members of the Resistance with new foods called "desserts". 9S was curious, but also slightly scared. He tried one after making sure 4S didn't shut down from any of the ingredients. A2 had revealed a project she'd been working on, a statue of Pascal. She'd used actual machine parts to build it. It looked very similar, but it couldn't possibly be Pascal.

At one point, some of the machines began playing a game with the 9S. Though, it was less of a game and more like the machines were teasing him. The flyer machines were much faster than him, so they took his bag and ran it all the way up to the top of the tree in the time it took him to climb up the ladder. Despite the pods' protests, 9S went after the bag himself. At the end, he slipped, and 2B managed to catch him.

"Nice catch."

"Don't do stupid stuff like that, Nines!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Pod 153 flew over. "One affirmation will suffice."

Everyone laughed at the pod's comment. With the remainders of the flowers, 2B and 9S returned to the Lunar Tear garden with their pods. One of the 042 units and one of the 153 units stayed with A2 to help her run the village. When the pair arrived at their destination, they set Pascal's book in the shelves of the hut, draping a small chain of flowers over it.

"Today's been an amazing day, Nines. I'm glad I got to spend the entire day with you." 2B said as the two androids snuggled together in the hut.

"Me too."

The two fell asleep in each others arms, in the graveyard filled with flowers for machines.


	27. Chapter 27: One Battle Ends

p style="text-align: center;"Notification from PandaGirl7878/VioletInspector7878/p  
p style="text-align: center;"To all readers,/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Thank you very much for reading "Flowers for Machines"/p  
p style="text-align: center;"We have a special message for you!/p  
p style="text-align: center;"This story doesn't end here. You have witnessed the "A route", but there are many storylines yet to come in the sequel story, "Or Not to Be". The first chapter will release approximately in 2-3 weeks, as soon as I finish writing the first 5 chapters. I highly recommend you read the next story once it releases later this October./p  
p style="text-align: center;"I hope you enjoy the rest of the game./p  
p style="text-align: center;"Sincerely,/p  
p style="text-align: center;"Taya/p 


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